The state of Altaf

The big question in everyone’s minds on Sunday was: what was going on in MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s mind as he delivered a speech at the MQM’s Dallas convention? The speech, picked up by local television channels, showed the MQM chief ranting against the Pakistan military, calling on Nato and the US to intervene in Karachi and even calling on India to intervene if it has any ‘shame’. The highly inflammatory speech was received in the same tone by the political leadership of Pakistan, with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan terming the statements equal to ‘waging war against the country.’ While Nisar is not a man who favours using a euphemism, neither is the MQM chief whose rants have become a serious liability for the already under-siege party. Nisar was correct in recalling that MQM leader Farooq Sattar had been on board with the demand in 2013 to hand Karachi over to the military. When the operation began in Karachi there was a need to recognise that all political parties operating in the city needed to be purged of their militant wings. With the interior minister promising a dossier would be sent to the Metropolitan Police in London, which is already closing down on Altaf, the MQM head appears to have lost control over what to say.
More troubling than the MQM chief’s rambling is the constant attempt by the MQM Rabita Commitee in Karachi to dispel his statements. Dr Farooq Sattar once again played the dummy, claiming that Altaf Bhai did not mean what he said and that his point of view was misinterpreted. It would have been better for the Rabita Committee to remain silent than to keep pretending that what was said was really not what was said. A resolution in the Punjab Assembly has asked for registering a treason case against Altaf Hussain. And if it were not for the fact that he is a British-citizen living in London, then the statements themselves look sufficiently provocative. This brings us back to the original problem. What is going on in Altaf’s mind? With pressure mounting on the alleged connection between the MQM and foreign intelligence agencies would it not be saner as a politician to wade out the storm? His statements seem to demand the worse. If a storm is coming, let it be the worst possible one. It is a strange situation. The MQM has two problems. One in London, with the two cases against Altaf Hussain. The other in Karachi with the ongoing operation damaging its street credibility. What is strange is that the MQM has always played slippery opportunistic politics quite well. This time Altaf seems to feel that pushing themselves into the tightest corner appears the best strategy. We have always maintained that there are grey areas in the operation in Karachi, but Altaf’s statements are not helping. It is now up to the MQM’s leadership in Pakistan to show maturity to get themselves and their party out of a rather sticky situation.