MQM woes

The contours of a serious confrontation between the military establishment and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement are now clearly visible. The Rangers have lodged a formal FIR against MQM chief Altaf Hussain accusing him of threatening army officials. The MQM leader had spoken about those who had raided the Nine-Zero complex in the past tense, as if they used to be alive and are, or will be, no more. Rangers have issued details of the confessional statements of some of those detained in the Nine-Zero raid and the statements are bone chilling. One hit-man claimed to have killed 120 targets. Names of the Baldia Town factory inferno accused where 250 innocent workers burnt to death were also given. Even electoral rigging by an MQM MNA was admitted. Saulat Mirza, in a video statement made serious charges against MQM leaders, which call for a neutral, objective and professional approach. Follow-up actions on these pieces of information have also been going on. The federal government has moved in to reinforce the Rangers actions. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has met the British high commissioner in Islamabad and handed him documents and details against Altaf Hussain. The case of the two accused persons in Dr Imran Farooq murder in London was also discussed. On its part the MQM has shown remarkable restraint and has not reacted violently or shown its muscle on the streets. Except for some ill-advised comments by Altaf Hussain, the party has taken a step back and responded politically. Realising the emerging fault-lines in Sindh, PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari has made a shrewd move to invite the MQM into the Sindh cabinet, thinking that the centre will find it hard to impose federal rule if both the PPP and MQM stand together. It may be good politics but is also being seen as a taunt to the centre.
The MQM seems to be in a fix. On Wednesday night at the 31st anniversary of the founding of the MQM, its leadership talked in confrontational tones and Altaf Hussain warned the army, Rangers and all others that if things erupted in Karachi, no one would be able to control Pakistan which may turn into another Afghanistan or Syria. Yet there have been no forced closures and city shutdowns – yet. The army and Rangers are determined to proceed through the legal process, filing FIRs, taking remands from the courts and interrogating those under detention. General Raheel Sharif has vowed that this operation will continue despite all hurdles. The battle lines are thus getting clear but it must be ensured, nay guaranteed, that both the Rangers and law-enforcement agencies as well as the MQM stay within the confines of the law and proceed to prosecute or defend their respective cases. The Karachi operation in which the MQM has now come under fire, must remain depoliticised and not become a witch hunt against one political party, no matter how aggressive their talk and language. The perception that the Rangers were only targeting the MQM must not be allowed to get weight. Action against other criminals, in other political parties, should also be visible with the same intensity and grit as against the MQM as soon as possible. The bottom line is that now that the long awaited course correction against terrorism, violence, target killings and mafia rule in Karachi has begun, it should not be allowed to derail because of unfounded accusations, revengeful actions or street violence. Actions must proceed forcefully, but within the ambit of the law.