Career criminals often keep their outside “ventures” going while they’re incarcerated, but Waseem Akhtar may soon be running Pakistan’s largest city-20 million residents and counting-from behind bars. An MQM senator says an office for Akhtar in the prison facility will be requested, noting, “Obviously he should be on the ground to do his work, but we just have to work around it”.
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Meanwhile, tension between Akhtar and the military triggered new violence this week, as troops raided and sealed several MQM offices on August 23 in Karachi, neighbouring Hyderabad district and elsewhere.
Earlier, Rangers took MQM’s Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Aamir Liaquat and Amir Khan into custody after violent MQM workers clashed with the police and surrounded the office of a private news channel in Karachi by taking down the gate of Madina Mall and broke the windows of the building.
His speech also contained anti-Pakistan slogans, which drew countrywide criticism – from within the party as well -, and subsequently led to a security forces crackdown in Karachi, and other parts of the southern Sindh province, late Monday night.
“It was shocking to hear the Altaf Hussain, leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a major political party, not only viciously abuse Pakistani media in his address to party workers”, he said. “MQM is registered in Pakistan, therefore, it is better party should be operated from here”.
Speaking to media, Waseem Akhtar said, “I am not MQM’s Mayor but the Mayor of Karachi”. The incident was condemned from all sides, including the prime minister.
“I am not the mayor of MQM”.
Hussain sought to retract his comments, saying he had been distressed by extra-judicial killings and arrests of party workers. Sceptics though are wondering out loud whether this “distancing” between Karachi and London is tactical or permanent, voluntary or establishment pressure-driven, and the final imposition of the “minus-one” formula vis-à-vis Altaf Hussain. Altaf Hussain, whose incendiary speeches from London have been banned from being broadcast on the electronic media, spoke to the to-be-dispersed hunger strike camp and delivered a broadside to beat all his previous efforts. Altaf Hussain and the entire party are being ridiculed due to these statements,”Sattar said”.
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His own second-in-command, Farooq Sattar, disowned him at a press conference later that day, accusing him of repeatedly embarrassing the party and vowing the MQM should be run from Pakistan.
