London – 29 October 2000
The MQM’s Coordination Committee Convenor Dr. Imran Farooq
has strongly condemned the threats made in declaring Mr. Altaf Hussain another
Salman Rushdie by former law minister S.M Zafar, Retd Justice Dr. Javed Iqbal
and others in a seminar held in Lahore, the capital of Punjab. It seems that the chauvinist Punjabi
mentality is bent upon taking the country to a point of no return, as they did
in 1971. He pointed out that according
to the newspaper report, while talking about Mr. Altaf Hussain they warned the
government that serious notice should be taken of such Salman Rushdies
otherwise public would annihilate him.
Dr. Imran Farooq said that Mr. Altaf Hussain only wanted to know the
answers to the serious questions about the Ideology of Pakistan
(Nazaria-e-Pakistan) from the intellectuals and historians. What justification is there for the
chauvinist to get agitated about? If
they did not have the answers to the questions raised, they could accept this
or have kept quiet. There is no
justification for using defamatory and threatening language. He warned S.M Zafar, Dr Javed Iqbal and other speakers, about the consequences
of hurting the feelings of over 30 million Mohajirs by using inflammatory and
derogatory language about their leader.
You should think before you speak, he warned. If you call our leader Salman Rushdi, we may also use thousands
of derogatory terms for you. Before
pronouncing your “fatwas” think carefully because we can also retaliate by
pronouncing “fatwas” on you. Addressing
Mr S.M.Zafar he said that you call yourself a champion of human rights but you
along with your companions are pronouncing disgraceful “fatwas”, is this
befitting of your stature? To pronounce
the leader of thirty million people as Salman Rushdi to incite public to
annihilate him is a criminal act. Are
such actions in the best interest of the country? He further stated to S.M Zafar, Dr Javed Iqbal and other speakes
that such speeches are not befitting to educated persons like you. You should come forward and work to
strengthen one nation concept in the country by raising your voice for the
rights of the people of smaller provinces and do not damage the country any
further. However, the mentality you
have displayed was responsible or the dismemberment of the country in 1971, and
surrender by ninety three thousand soldiers of the armed forces, he
concluded.