WE ARE NOT AGAINST ANYONE: ALTAF HUSSAIN
LONDON: 24th OCTOBER 2010
Mr. Altaf Hussain, Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) has said in unequivocal terms that MQM had not demanded action against any particular group or in any particular area. “MQM has always called for action against land mafia, drug mafia, extortion mafia and the mafia involved in kidnapping for ransom irrespective of area, caste, color, creed and religious persuasion.” He said this in a thought provoking address to the members of various party wings, parliamentarians and members of MQM Co-ordination Committee.
Mr. Hussain said that MQM was the only political party that had made inroads into the spell of dynastic politics in the 63 years of history of Pakistan and roused political awareness among the deprived and depressed people of the country by giving them a platform of a political party comprising educated and honest people from middle class and giving them the philosophy of “Realism and Practicalism”. “MQM took practical steps to bring the decadent feudalist and dynastic politics of a few families. The righteous struggle of MQM and the political awareness in the country was disliked by the Establishment in the country and frowned upon by the privileged landed gentry, chieftains, capitalist and feudalist people who always promoted dynastic politics.
“These landlords and capitalists belong to each province in the country and give the people of their respective provinces to believe that they are the standard bearers and protectors of their language and culture. Strangely these landlords who incite hatred and enmity against each other superficially are related to each other through marriages. The details of their family relationships have been extensively published in authentic books and national and international magazines and newspapers.”
“This small group that comprises only 2 percent of the population has established strong family relationships by demolishing the barriers of language, disparity of culture and different social background but it has never allowed the remaining 98 percent deprived and oppressed people to get united and become one nation. Whenever they tried to come closer together, this privileged group with the help of their cohorts in the Establishment always made their attempts at unity a failure. It is because of this privileged group that linguistic, cultural and regional identity is more powerful and the concept of Pakistani nationhood is very weak. This disparity cannot be obliterated unless the decadent feudalist, capitalist and dynastic system is not replaced through a peaceful revolution and a government of educated and honest people is not installed with the help of ballot in a democratic manner.”
“This age old, dilapidated and corrupt feudalist system has engendered a culture of corruption and the aid from IMF, World Bank and other developed countries did not benefit to the common people and the country. It was because of this corrupt culture that the pelf and property of the landlords increased manifolds and the poor become poorer”
“When MQM, the sole representative party of the poor and middle-class people raised a voice against the feudal system and sent educated, honest and talented youth in the corridors of power, it not only sent shockwave in the echelons of power but the feudal lords, chieftains, capitalists also began to felt threatened and they started a series of conspiracies against MQM in collusion with the than Establishment. The Establishment of the past and the feudal lords wanted to maintain a status quo of the exploitative and oppressive system. In order to stymie the spread of philosophy and message of MQM the feudal lords created an impressed that MQM is against Pakhtoons, Punjabis, Sindhis, Saraikis and Kashmiris. In order to give true colour to their heinous conspiracies they stoked violence and bloodshed.”
“When MQM demanded in 1986 that the country should be rid of drug mafia by eliminating all the dens where drugs are sold in order to save the young generation from the poison of drugs, propaganda was started that MQM is against Pakhtoons. But the fact is that MQM never made a demand against the Pakhtoons. A superficial operation was conducted in Sohrab Goth Karachi but no weapons or arms were discovered because the real motive of the operation was something else. The conspirators declared this as an operation against the Pakhtoons and in retaliation armed terrorists attacked Qasba and Aligarh and a reign of terror and bloodbath was unleashed for more than six hours. Hundreds of innocent people including women and children were killed and hundreds of houses were set on fire. It was later termed as a feud between two linguistic groups”.
“As a sequence to the same conspiracy a tragedy struck Hyderabad on 30th September 1988 and armed dacoits and criminals who were purposely brought out from jails were used to run havoc and bloodshed in different parts of Hyderabad for more than half an hour. Hundreds of people including women and children were done to death. The next day on 1st October 1988 hired terrorists and criminal elements were used villages and guiltless Sindhis were killed in order to drag Urdu speaking and Sindhi speaking people into an internecine feud and give an impression to the world that MQM is intolerant of Sindhis.”
“MQM signed a 59 points Karachi Declaration with the government that came to power after the elections of 1988 but when the agreement was not implemented and MQM protested against it then the protest was dubbed as anti-Sindhis and misgivings were spread about MQM among the Sindhi people. In return to the protest of MQM a worst operation was launched in Pukka Qila Hyderabad on 26th May 1990 that continued for two days. Hundreds of people including women and children were killed in order to fuel hatred and to widen the chasm of differences and discord.”
“When MQM raised a voice in support of rights of small provinces and said that just as the Punjab has rights over its resources other provinces should also be given control of their natural resources and the smaller provinces should be given their rightful share in NFC Award and other departments of state, the people of the Punjab including students, journalists, poets, intellectuals, writers were told that MQM was against the people of Punjab in order to disenchant them from MQM. This was done in order to stop people from inclining towards MQM.”
“When MQM talked about religious extremism and Talibanization, some parties incited the poor and naïve Pakhtoons that MQM is against Pakhtoons. Now that MQM has raised a voice against mafias such as land mafia, drug mafia, weapons mafia, extortionist mafia and the mafia involved in kidnapping for ransom again a conspiracy has set in to make the Baluchis believe that MQM is against the Baluchis. All these conspiracies and killings are being done with the purpose of pitching Pakhtoons, Baluchis and other nationalities against MQM.”
Addressing the Pakhtoons, Saraikis, Punjabis, Sindhis and particularly the Baluchis he said that MQM was never against any area, culture and language. “We consider the Baluchis as our brothers just as we look upon all other nationalities and ethnic minorities as our brothers. Sindhis, Baluchis, Punjabis, Pakhtoons, Saraikis, Kashmiries, Gilgitis and Baltistanis whatever language they speak and wherefrom ever they may belong, they are our brothers.”
He appealed to all the nationalities particularly Baluchis not to consider MQM and Altaf Hussain as their enemy. He said that he was sorely grieved at the bloodshed and violence in Karachi but those who incited violence initially stoked hatred by saying that MQM was demanding an operation in Layari. He asked as to when such a demand for operation in Layari was made by MQM? Rather it demanded actions against the mafias that have gripped the city irrespective of area, caste, colour and religious beliefs.
“Baloch youth, elders and student know it well that MQM has always talked about rights for Baluchistan. Despite being a part of the government MQM not only opposed operation in Baluchistan but also announced to send a facts finding mission in Baluchistan in order to inform the world about the injustices being done during military operation. This was sabotaged on the eleventh hour by some Baloch leaders. MQM raised a voice against injustices being done to the Baluchs and protested against the killing of elderly Nawab Akbar Bugti. Even today MQM is fiercely against the continuing operation in Baluchistan.”
“Even during present government MQM took out a huge rally against the killings of Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, Munir Ahmed Baloch and Sher Muhammad Baloch as a mark of solidarity with the Baloch people. Did any other political party raise mobilized people on such a large scale against injustices with the Baloch people?”
In the end he said that MQM has always raised voice against injustice in any part of Pakistan. “It was MQM that raised voice against cruelties, barbarism and terrorism in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwah. He said that the motive behind recent violence and bloodshed in the country was to incite hatred against MQM and to stop its message from spreading in the nook and corner of the country. He made a passionate appeal to the people of Karachi and to work for eliminating violence, gore and mayhem from Karachi and to make the city a cradle of peace and tranquility.