Daily Times

KARACHI: The posters and banners of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain were removed from Karachi, Hyderabad and other major cities of Sindh on Thursday.

According to details, law enforcers removed the posters and banners from MQM’s headquarters Nine Zero and adjacent areas, including Jinnah Ground, Azizabad and Mukka Chowk. Action was also taken in Hydeabad where banners and other boards were removed from Latifabad, Bhai Khan Charhi, Faqir Jo Pir, Hyder Chowk and City Police Station areas.

In Sukkur, MQM’s zonal office had earlier been demolished, and in a recent move, banners containing Altaf Hussain’s images and party flags were also removed. According to sources, law enforcement agencies and provincial authorities had made a decision to demolish all MQM offices built on amenity plots, government lands and footpaths.

Meanwhile, several sector and unit offices of the party were shut down in various areas of Karachi.

The security agencies locked and shut down several MQM offices located in Federal B Area, North Nazimabad, North Karachi and other areas. The security personnel also displayed notices outside all the closed offices carrying warning that legal action would be taken against those found involved in reopening the offices without permission.

Interestingly, the name of the party’s leader on Wikipedia has also been changed from that of Altaf Hussain to Dr Farooq Sattar.

Last Monday’s rioting by MQM workers and Altaf’s diatribes triggered a crackdown leading to the sealing of the party’s headquarters Nine Zero, along with several other offices, in the metropolis and elsewhere in Sindh.

On the other hand, MQM’s Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Asif Hasnain was arrested from Karachi airport on Thursday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Rangers had interrogated Hasnain and Sheeraz Waheed, another party leader, in connection with the party supremo’s hate speech and subsequent violence in the city.

Meanwhile, MQM leader Aamir Khan distanced the party from statements allegedly made by Altaf Hussain who was addressing workers in the United States.

Altaf had allegedly urged party workers in the US to seek help from Israel, India, Iran and Afghanistan.

In the newly surfaced audio clip, Hussain allegedly said, “If the US and Israel help, I will go myself to fight Daesh, al Qaeda, Taliban and the Inter-Services Intelligence and Pakistan Army who created them.”

The MQM supreme, while addressing “Hindus”, allegedly said, “We could not recognise the British conspiracy [to divide the subcontinent] and we became part of it.”

Speaking to journalists at the Karachi Press Club, Aamir Khan denied that the MQM had anything to do with the recently surfaced speech.

He was also quizzed by journalists about these statements at the Karachi Municipal Corporation building, where mayoral polls were underway earlier on Wednesday, but he did not shed any light on the matter then.

Flanked by Coordination Committee Deputy Convener Dr Farooq Sattar, Khan said, “Like Farooq Sattar had disassociated the party from Altaf Hussain’s earlier speech in our press conference… we, the Pakistan Rabita Committee, disassociate ourselves from this recent speech.”

Khan claimed that the audio clip carries parts of a speech made by Altaf Hussain before the MQM Coordination Committee announced that the party’s leadership in Pakistan would solely run the show with full authority.

It may be mentioned here that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday, in a meeting on law and order in the city, said the federal and Sindh governments had reiterated their resolve that nobody would be allowed to ignite fire of hatred and spread terrorism in any form in the city.

“Any activity which causes threat to life, liberty, public and private property, business activities and day-to-day life will be dealt with an iron hand,” he said.

Nisar said the government had launched a ‘safe city project’ in consultation with defence and security experts in Islamabad, and it would be replicated in Karachi.

“The Centre will support the Sindh government in dealing with terrorism and crime in Karachi,” he said, adding that the prime minister would also convene a high-level meeting of the chief ministers in Islamabad where security issues would be discussed.