MQM founder claims financially ruined after 6 properties frozen

LONDON: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain has claimed that he is facing financial ruins and unable to pay bills and expenditures - three weeks after the London High Court’s Deputy High Court Judge Peter Knox issued freezing orders on the six properties controlled by him following an application for the takeover of these properties by the MQM-Pakistan.

Late on Monday night, the MQM leader’s deputy Mustafa Azizabadi issued a hand-written letter by Altaf Hussain from MQM-London’s official Twitter account appealing for funds and claiming that the financial situation has worsened.

Sitting in the High Court London, the judge ordered that Altaf Hussain can continue to use Abbey View house, High View Gardens first house, Whitchurch Lane first house, Brookfield Avenue house, High View Gardens second house, Whitchurch Lane second house, and the MQM 1st Floor Elizabeth House office till the outcome of the dispute between MQM-Pakistan and Altaf Hussain but barred Altaf Hussain and his associates from selling these properties.

The letter from Altaf Hussain claimed that he has come under serious financial stress after the event of 22nd August, 2016 when he raised slogans against the unity of Pakistan and his party effectively sacked him. He claimed that he has sold two properties since 22nd August, 2016 to run affairs of the party to ‘look after the families of martyrs and to pay for the costs of running MQM operations.”

He further claimed that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has started legal cases against him in Britain “which has caused huge financial strains” on the resources. It can be confirmed that the cases against Hussain have been initiated by his former colleagues in London and from Karachi and none of these cases has anything to do with any Pakistani agency.

MQM-Pakistan’s lawyer Barrister Nazar Mohammad said he started case at London High Court on the request of MQM-Pakistan’s leader Syed Aminul Haq.

Altaf Husain also faces a defamation claim from prominent Pakistani anchor Saleem Safi, who hosts Jirga show on Geo News. Altaf Hussain had made serious accusations against Saleem Safi in a broadcast in relation to Taliban and Pakistan’s spy agencies. Saleem Safi’s lawyer Rizwan Sulehria said he had sued Hussain on behalf of Safi over seriously defamatory and false allegations. “Saleem Safi instructed me after Altaf Hussain made baseless allegations against Saleem Safi. We have engaged Altaf Hussain’s lawyers and will be issuing court proceedings soon.” Altaf further claimed in the letter: “I have not enough money to pay the council tax, gas and electricity bills and other expenditures due to financial issues. I request you to consider offering your finical support to help the movement.” Mustafa Azizabadi further tweeted that the MQM is “in extreme financial crisis, please help the party”.

Azizabadi added he was writing with a broken heart that the leader who “personally distributed millions and billions amongst the party workers and got his followers to become MNAs, MPAs, senators, ministers, advisers and mayors, who became billionaires but the same leader is today asking for financial help”. Exactly a year ago in November last year, Altaf Hussain had requested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for help by giving asylum and financial help to him and his companions.

In a speech watched online by thousands of people, the MQM leader had said he would like to travel to India because his grandfathers are buried there. The MQM founder said in his request to the Indian government: "If India's Prime Minister Mr. Modi allows me to come to India and provides me asylum with my colleagues, I am ready to come to India along with my colleagues because my grandfather is buried there. My grandmother is buried there and thousands of my relatives are buried there in India. I want to go to India to their graves."

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged Altaf Hussain and he will stand trial in about three months at the Old Bailey.