Paramilitary officers stand guard after sealing the offices of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM, in Karachi, Pakistan, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016.
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Pakistani police charged the exiled leader of an influential political party with treason and inciting terrorism on Tuesday, accusing him of provoking violence at a protest a day earlier in Karachi. “One case pertains to treason for his anti-state speech…and the other case pertains to the incident following his remarks which saw some media houses being attacked by MQM activists”, he said. Several vehicles, including a police van and motorcycle were as set ablaze by the mob. This news story is related to Latest/144938-Nisar-says-formal-reference-against-Altaf-being-sent-to-Britain/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Central party leader Farooq Sattar told a press conference that Hussain’s explanation for the speech was “intolerable” and “unacceptable”.
Clearly, Farooq Sattar has attempted damage control aimed at preventing the MQM being banned, as is being advocated by many quarters. “I am not a mayor of MQM”.
Akhtar was arrested in July and accused of ordering a crackdown on city riots in 2007, when he was serving as provincial home minister, that resulted in a bloody massacre.
He was arrested last month from an Anti-Terorism Court in Karachi after the rejection of his bail plea.
The interior minister reached out to British authorities amidst calls from the country’s main opposition parties to raise the issue of Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain’s anti-Pakistan diatribe with the United Kingdom authorities. Protests by its followers – often triggered by statements by Hussain, who has lived in London since 1992 – have over the years triggered stock-market gyrations and political upheaval.
His hold on parts of the sprawling and crime-ridden metropolis is so strong that he can bring entire areas to a standstill and disrupt life for millions in the city.
For the first time after the formation of MQM in in 1984, the top leadership of the party has come harsh on their Qauid, Altaf Hussain.
The violence erupted soon after Altaf Hussain, gave a telephone address to his supporters in which he castigated the media for not giving due coverage to his workers.
But Sattar’s announcement failed to cut any ice with other political parties which continued to denounce Hussain for his anti-Pakistan remarks.
“Two cases have been registered against the MQM”, the Express Tribune quoted Khawaja, as saying.
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Later, in a formal presser, Chaudhry Nisar praised the Urdu-speaking community and said that they are perhaps the most patriotic people in the country and rendered vast sacrifices for the creation of Pakistan.
