London - 8 May 2000

Mr Altaf Hussain, MQM Founder and Leader, has said that the policy of the America towards the South Asian Region has changed. Pakistan has been isolated at the international level whereas the Establishment of the country is continuing with its unconstitutional and illegal steps to crush the Mohajirs. Mr Hussain said that MQM is a peaceful and democratic party, which condemns all sorts of terrorism. However, when the State continues with its policies of taking unconstitutional and illegal steps towards its own citizens then the affected people are compelled to adopt extra-constitutional and extralegal means. He was addressing the members of Graduate Forum over the telephone from London.

He reminded that the recent South Asia visit of President Bill Clinton has made it clear that there has been a basic change in the policy of the United States of America towards the South Asia Region. According to this change, America is now inclined towards India then Pakistan. In this region America needed Pakistan until the breakup of Soviet Union and Pakistan agreed to be used. For this purpose, cronies of Pakistan Army were brought to rule the country and the collusion of the Army and the feudals have remained in power, which continues even today. They have looted and destroyed the country with both hands. Mr Hussain asserted that today fundamentalism has become the biggest threat for America. During the Cold War, on the instructions of America to prevent the Soviet Union from reaching the hot waters (Arabian Sea), students in the madarassahs (religious schools) in Pakistan were preached and trained for Jihad. These young students have now matured with an overwhelming urge for Jihad. On the other hand, the army personnel were also trained and taught fundamentalism.

Commenting on the economical and social condition of the country Mr Hussain said that all the institutions including the judiciary have been ruined, Pakistan is on the verge of economical and moral bankruptcy and is now solely dependable on foreign loans and aid. Till such time America wanted to use Pakistan, the country continued to receive foreign aid and foreign loans. However, today Pakistan is like a patient who is clinically dead but kept alive through artificial respiration, however, whenever the machines for artificial respiration will be removed the patient will be pronounced dead. The foreign aid and foreign loans are like artificial respiration for the country. On the other hand, there is India, which has observed democracy for the past 52 years, it has a strong economy and all the institutions including the judiciary and all the departments of the State are functional, strong and active. Therefore, now fearing from the fundamentalism, America has inclined towards India instead of Pakistan. Mr Hussain said that the Establishment on the other hand is busy in crushing the Mohajirs and through State terrorism, unconstitutional and unlawful steps committing worst ever atrocities upon Mohajirs. Mr Hussain said that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When the State commits unconstitutional and illegal atrocities upon its own citizens then the oppressed citizens are also compelled to adopt unconstitutional and illegal means.

Mr Hussain said that our forefathers had not created Pakistan so that those responsible for the defence of the country will humiliate and insult our mothers and sisters, unlawfully arrest innocent Mohajirs and then extrajudicially murder them in so-called ‘police encounters’. Mr Hussain said that MQM is a peaceful political party and condemns all sorts of terrorism but we have been trying to apprise the presidents, prime ministers and the chiefs of army staff that do not resort to unconstitutional and illegal methods against the Mohajirs otherwise the Mohajirs will have no choice and they might be compelled to resort to unconstitutional and extralegal means. He said that if the State denies the right to live in peace to a particular community through unconstitutional and illegal means then that particular community is compelled to adopt all means either unconstitutional or illegal for their survival – and if this process of denial continues then the people of that particular community become ‘freedom fighters’. The State calls them ‘terrorists’ but the world recognises them as ‘freedom fighters’.

Mr Hussain emphasised that he has been warning that if the ongoing State atrocities are not stopped then the people will stop heeding to my appeals and can adopt any path for their security, survival, to free themselves from the atrocities and for the prevention of the honour of their mothers and sisters.

Mr Hussain reemphasised that MQM is against all sorts of terrorism, however, if people are compelled to take up arms against the State atrocities then the State is responsible for that situation and not those who are compelled by the State to defend themselves. Citing the example of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) he said that the Prophet (PBUH) was the “Rehmat Ul Alimeen”, but the persistent atrocities of the infidel of Mecca compelled him to draw his sword against them.

Mr Hussain said that there is a limit of tolerating atrocities and a limit to patience – today, the senior, loyal and determined members of the MQM are disagreeing with my peaceful policies and saying that if the policy of peace and tolerance towards atrocities is not changed then they will leave the MQM. In the past some people had left the MQM on the same grounds, some are leaving the party at present – these people have the view that it is wrong to fight cruelty and oppression with patience and tolerance – they believe that the oppressor should be countered with tit for tat. Mr Hussain said that these people are not ‘traitors’, however they can be termed as ‘rebels’ because there is a great difference between a traitor and a rebel. Mr Hussain said that he would like to clarify once again that MQM has a manifesto, which comprises of peaceful and a democratic struggle, however, the people are free to adopt any other way because adopting another way for having a difference of opinion is their democratic right.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that once again the State operation against the MQM has accelerated. In the past month, more than one thousand workers have been arrested and more than five thousand houses have been raided and looted. General Parvez Musharraf is playing the role of ‘Uncle Tom’ in the hands of the Establishment, to portray to the international community that how is it possible that Mohajirs are being oppressed in the presence of a ‘Mohajir’ Chief Executive. He said that these are the similar old tactics of the oppressed forces that were used by the British Raj in India – i.e. to keep a local person in the front for their own gains. Mr Hussain said that it was the moral responsibility of General Moeen Haider that he should have taken strict action against the officials proved directly responsible for extrajudicial murders in the reports of the commission during his governorship in the province of Sindh.

Mr Hussain said that if the personnel of army, rangers and police, responsible for killing innocent Mohajirs and jubilating over their dead bodies, are so courageous then instead of offering talks to India why don’t they conquer Kashmir? Their slogan is Jihad in the Name of Allah. Mr Hussain said that instead of suppressing the Mohajirs they should conquer Kashmir – but they cannot do so because those committing oppressions upon innocent unarmed citizens cannot fight armed enemies and when they are faced with armed enemies then people like these, one hundred thousand in number, surrender their weapons and face the most humiliating defeat of the history.

Mr Hussain said, ‘I would once again appeal to the Establishment to stop the atrocities against the Mohajirs because the country cannot be kept intact by oppressing the creators of the country. In the past, when oppression was committed against the Bengali Muslims, who created country – the country split into two. Today, once again oppression is going on against the Mohajirs and if this persecution is not stopped then the nature will take its course. As a result, after 52 years, the American policy has changed and Pakistan has been isolated in the world.