Overwhelmed by the presence of millions of people who had assembled at New M A Jinnah Road, near Quaid’s Mausoleum, to express allegiance with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain, the party Coordination Committee’s deputy convener, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, declared amid full-throated slogans that if anyone wanted to institute any case against Mr Hussain it should then try millions of people because if Mr Hussain was an accused then they all are abettors.
“Today, Karachiites have given their verdict in support of MQM chief Altaf Hussain and hence any international decision against Mr Hussain will be of no value,” he added.
He was speaking at a mammoth gathering held on New M. A. Jinnah Road, near Quaid’s Mausoleum, to express allegiance with Mr Altaf Hussain. The grand public meeting was also addressed by MQM Coordination Committee Member and leader of MQM parliamentary party in the National Assembly, Dr Farooq Sattar, Coordination Committee Members Haider Abbas Rizvi, Amir Khan, Ashfaq Mangi, Mian Atique, Aslam Shah Afridi, leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly, Faisal Subzwari, Haq Parast MNA Nabeel Gabol, Haq Parast MNA and MQM Women Wing’s In-charge, Ms Kishwar Zerhra, Haq Parast Member of Sindh Assembly, Waqar Hussain Shah, Haq Parast Member in Azad Kashmir’s Constituent Assembly, Tahir Khokhar and a representative of Christian community, Reverend Shepherd Anwar Javaid.
Expressing his gratitude to Karachiites for expressing their love and affection for Mr Hussain, Dr Siddiqui said that the Karachi’s people’s court has today given its verdict in favour of Mr Hussain by gathering in such a huge number. The city had always been expressing its love and affection with the MQM chief even when it remained under siege and duress and where judicial killing of youths continued unabated, he added.
He said that it was heartening to note that people remained united and determined and stood like a rock whenever attempts were made to deface the MQM’s face and to pressurise and cow down the party.
Deploring that the MQM’s media trial that has become international after crossing the border, he said that the day was not, inshallah, far away when those levelling allegations against Mr Hussain would have to seek pardon from you and Mr Hussain as those who had earlier unleashed a propaganda against the party had to eat their own words and retreat from their statements.
He said that millions of people always demonstrated patience as their party chief had always exhorted them to remain so but they always remained prepared to sacrifice their lives for Mr Hussain whenever the image of their party leader was put at stake.
Terming Altaf Hussain as a milestone and destination, he said that people speaking any language and belonging to any religion or sect were Altaf Hussain and, today, everyone had given their verdict that this city was Altaf Hussain’s and would remain so in future, as well.
At the outset, Dr Siddiqui, thanked the participants of the gathering for expressing their love and affection with Mr Altaf Hussain. He also conveyed tributes to the participants on behalf of Mr Hussain.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Farooq Sattar said that if an international broadcasting organisation and its investigator would like to become prosecutor or act as a court, then the MQM would not allow them to play such a role through its constitutional and democratic struggle.
He said that like Pakistan’s black Englishman, white Englishmen would also have to retreat from false propaganda against Altaf Hussain because such a propaganda was against the freedom of the press and amounted to unethical journalism, besides being a deep-rooted conspiracy against the stability of Pakistan.
Describing the Sunday’s demonstration `two-in-one’, he said that it was, on the one hand, expressed it solidarity with Mr Hussain and, on the other, exposed all those lied.
He said that it was a sheer misunderstanding that graph of MQM was going down and said that presence of a sea of people at the demonstration was an indicative of the fact that MQM had attained the status of a national party.
MQM Coordination Committee Member Haider Abbas Rizvi asked that those who thought that the incidences such as attack on our brotherly country Afghanistan by Russia, presence of America in that country after Russian forces pullout, formation of Taliban in the presence of both American and Russians and the slogan that we wanted to get rid of foreigners from our country or the formation of Taliban were just coincidence were how much innocent.
He said that a super power in its bid to let down other super power under a conspiracy had been using this entire region of Pakistan and Afghanistan and where people whether Pakistanis, Muslims and Afghans were being killed but victory or defeat was somebody’ else luck.
He said that installation of General Zia-ul-Haq after toppling democratic government was not a coincidence but a strategy to form Taliban and it was part of an international conspiracy.
Mr Rizvi said that Altaf Hussain was the only leader of Pakistan whose point of view could not be changed by anyone.
He said that conspirators have known that Talibanisation in the country cannot flourish unless the voice of Altaf Hussain was suppressed.
The Coordination Committee Member, Amir Khan, said that presence of millions of people at the solidarity demonstration had proved that they stood by Altaf Hussain as they were not the selling commodity.
He said that no power on earth could separate MQM workers from their party leader Altaf Hussain.
Terming BBC report a `a white lie’, he said that conspirators must know that “if we are body so Altaf Hussain is the soul and the blood running in our bodies is that of Mr Hussain.”
Another Member of the Coordination Committee, Ashfaq Mangi, said that MQM being a peaceful and a democratic party, had never took revenge but continued its peaceful struggle for the rights of oppressed people of the country.
He said that British Broadcasting Corporation had made an attack on the country’s oppressed and suppressed people by making an attempt to tarnish the image of Mr Hussain.
MQM Coordination Committee Member, Mian Atique, said that said that the international conspiracy against Mr Hussain was actually a conspiracy against Pakistan and we would not allow such conspiracies to succeed at any cost.
He said that oppressed people of the country should know that Pakistan was passing through a critical stage and under such circumstances only Altaf Hussain could usher in a bright future for them.
The Coordination Committee Member, Yousuf Shahwani, said that since the entire oppressed and suppressed people of the country were with Mr Hussain, they would not tolerate any conspiracy against their party leader instead they would sacrifice their lives for him.
The Coordination Committee Member, Aslam Shah Afridi, said that all those who have assembled at the Quaid’s Mausoleum to express their solidarity with Mr Hussain were, in fact, the saviours of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly, Faisal Subzwari and Haq Parast legislators Nabeel Gabol, Ms Kishwar Zehra, Waqar Hussain Shah and Tahir Khokhar, said that “we are all Altaf Hussain because he (Mr Hussain) was the only leader who could steer Pakistan out of the crises and challenges being faced by it.
They said that they had grown up yet the negative propaganda against Mr Hussain was still continuing.
They questioned that why the champions of freedom of the press have started a prejudiced and false medial trial of Mr Hussain.
They said that the only crime of Mr Hussain was that he never sold assembly’s seats, always talked about the country’s out-dated and obsolete system, always spoke for the survival and solidarity of the country, raised voice for the rights of oppressed and suppressed people of the country and continued his struggle for ensuring equal rights for everyone in spite of martyrdom of thousands of MQM workers including that of his brother and nephew.