Centre draws PTI’s ire over ‘inaction’ against Altaf, Sharjeel

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Karachi committee on Monday criticised the government for the alleged freehand given to both Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) chief Altaf Hussain and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Memon.

Hussain had on Friday written a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling for him to help Karachi’s Mohajir community win their rights from the Pakistani state.

Inaction against Sharjeel was condemned after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) found billions of rupees from the former information minister’s house almost two years ago; he had flown to London following NAB’s raid and returned to the country only last week.

Strongly condemning Hussain while addressing a press conference at the Insaf House, PTI’s deputy secretary general in Karachi, Imran Ismail, stated that his demand was tantamount to betraying one’s country.

He said the letter had hurt the sentiments of Mohajirs who had migrated from India for a separate homeland after sacrificing lives of their near and dear ones.

Also criticising the interior Minister, Chaudhry Nisar, Ismail said that he seemed to be in a state of deep slumber since he could not ‘anticipate the conspiracy being hatched against the country’.

Also terming the former ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, a traitor the PTI official demanded of the interior minister to take a stern action against him.

PTI Karachi president, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, while speaking on the occasion said that the MQM and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have always remained an ally which is why the latter has not taken any action against Altaf Hussain.

He also condemned last week’s kidnapping of PTI candidate from PS-127, Nadeem Memon, and held law-enforcement agencies and the government responsible for not providing protection to the people.