Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Legislators in Lower House of Parliament on Friday unanimously passed a resolution condemning MQM founder, Altaf Hussain’s speech and termed it “an attack on Pakistan’s foundation and integrity”. They also condemned the attack on media houses in Karachi by MQM activists.

The Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit Baltistan Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir presented the resolution. Legislators belonging to MQM-Pakistan supported the resolution. The resolution stated that Hussain directed political workers to storm offices of two private media houses in Karachi after anti-state slogans were chanted in the gathering which he was addressing from London. The resolution further reiterated allegiance with national institutions against which Altaf Hussain had given numerous statements in the recent past amid allegations of working for Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India.

“This House demands strict action under the law and constitution against the people involved in the violence,” said the resolution. Two media houses were ransacked as activists chanting pro-MQM slogans resorted to violent protest last month after listening to a highly provocative speech of their London-based chief Altaf Hussain.

Parts of the speech that went viral on social media showed that while addressing MQM workers protesting outside the Karachi Press Club against “enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings,” Hussain not only raised slogans against Pakistan but also called the country “a cancer for the entire world”.

Speaking on the occasion, MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar said the party and its workers unconditionally love Pakistan and stand against any form of hatred towards it. “We had to prove we are running party affairs from Pakistan, and not from elsewhere, we have substituted Article 7(b) in our constitution,” said Sattar, giving the reasoning behind the move.

The series of developments came after a provocative speech by Altaf Hussain incited party workers to raid media houses and set ablaze a police mobile and other private vehicles in the metropolis last month.

Sattar termed the August 22 speech by the party supremo ‘suicidal’, demanding an end to the ‘discrimination’ against the people of Karachi on the basis of one person’s remarks. “The people of Karachi have been facing numerous issues which include acute water shortages and lack of public transport facility and these should be addressed.”

Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) Lt General (r) Abdul Qadir Baloch asked Dr Farooq Sattar-led MQM to openly sever all connections and disassociate itself from Altaf Hussain who had been toeing the line all along against Pakistan. It was a fact each member in the House of MQM loved Pakistan but their repeated statements describing their own people only as patriots and negating the rest was highly objectionable and questionable.

Besides disassociating himself from Altaf Hussain, he said Dr Farooq Sattar would have to take some drastic and fundamental decisions to gain popularity for his party. Meanwhile, the MQM lawmakers had submitted a resolution against party founder Altaf Hussain over his anti-Pakistan remarks.