Ex-MQM leader Nadeem Nusrat survives life attempt in Houston

LONDON: The Chairperson, Voice of Karachi and former Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Nadeem Nusrat, survived a life attempt in Houston, Texas, after unidentified assailants fired multiple shots at his car on Sunday.

In an interview with The Geo News and The News, Nadeem Nusrat said he was “lucky” to survive the assassination attempt but he refused to blame anyone. However, he said “an environment of hate has been created through YouTube videos against him with calls of violent action against over the last three years.

Two years ago a local was prosecuted and jailed for planning to kill me, my wife and Wasay Jalil and today I was attacked on the road.” Nusrat said he was travelling with Voice of Karachi leader, Shahid Farhad on Sunday on Highway 59 South when Farhad spotted a black SUV trying to get closer to our vehicle. At that time, Nusrat said he was looking up a website on his cell phone when the attack took place. He said:

“Farhad noticed a hand carrying a handgun emerging from the rear window of the suspicious vehicle. But at that very moment, Farhat pulled the break, which led the other car to accelerate past us firing at us, which missed us by a few feet.

Multiple shots were fired in our direction. I saw empty bullet shells flying and hitting the front grill of his vehicle. “Farhad intentionally slowed his car to let the other vehicle get away as far as possible. The attackers then sped away on the highway.” When asked as to whom he suspected to be behind the attack, Nusrat said the frequency of threats to his life increased after he spoke against “Sindhu Desh” - the slogan now backed by Altaf Hussain’s faction of the MQM. Nusrat said the police was now investigating the attack. “I am not blaming anyone. Let the police find out who was behind it. However I have handed over several YouTube and Facebook videos to the police in which violence was instigated against me, including a local US Urdu paper.” The spokesman of Voice of Karachi (VOK) Shahid Farhad, said he has also lodged an official report with the local police station. “The Police have started an investigation.”