Karachi: Lawmakers in Pakistan’s Sindh assembly, including those of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), on Wednesday passed a unanimous resolution against Altaf Hussain for the anti-Pakistan statements he delivered on August 22.
The resolution was tabled by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), seeking stern action against Hussain for his speech last month, in which he raised ‘down with Pakistan’ slogans, and incited his supporters to attack media houses.
Hussain is the founder leader of the MQM party.
His speech from London, where Hussain lives in self exile, compelled the local MQM leaders to distance themselves from their leader, who came under acute criticism.
The MQM leader’s remarks prompted calls to ban the party, which has enjoyed a strong mandate in urban Sindh over past three decades.
Khawja Izharul Hasan, the opposition leader in the provincial assembly and the senior MQM leader, sobbed while making the speech to denounce his leader’s speech.
The resolution also demanded initiation of proceedings against Hussain under Article 6 of the Pakistani constitution that deals with treason.
Stating the multiple dilemmas the party was faced with, Hasan said, like other party members who had defected and formed a separate party, he and others could also have left MQM and joined other parties.
Nevertheless, he said, the Pakistani leadership of the MQM chose to run the party locally, excluding the London leader’s interference in its affairs.
He also dispelled the impression that the local leadership dissociated themselves from Hussain without any dictation from any quarters.
However, without naming the powerful establishment, Hasan told the Assembly that “we received a long wish list after August 22.”
“Stop giving us wish lists,” he demanded and added or else “ban the party”.
His remarks seemed to explain the difficulties the local MQM leadership was faced with, given the fact that Hussain, despite being in exile, has a strong grip over the ranks and file of the party, and the unanimous passage of the resolution could unleash resentment against the workers, who are the backbone of the party.
The MQM, which has been renamed as MQM Pakistan, also sacked Nadeem Nusrat, Mustafa Azizabadi, Wasay Jalil and other leaders, who are based in London with Hussain, from the decision-making executive committee of the party.
Media reports said MQM Pakistan also issued directives to its workers not to listen to Hussain’s speeches on social media or the party would terminate the membership of workers who violated the directives.
Meanwhile, United States consul-general in Karachi, Grace W. Shelton called on Farooq Sattar, the MQM Pakistan chief, at the party’s relocated head office and discussed the political scenario with him.
