Daily Times

ISLAMABAD – Minister for InteriorAffairs Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday said that the purpose of Mutahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain’s speech on Saturday night was to defame Pakistan and its institutions.

Addressing a press conference, he called the London-based MQM leader’s speech a humiliation for Pakistan. Altaf blamed the military for creating rifts in his party, and invited India to intervene in Karachi’s affairs, Nisar informed the media.

Regarding the ongoing operation in Karachi, Nisar said that the operation was being conducted without any discrimination. “All apprehensions of the MQM are being addressed without any request by the party leadership,” he said.

He said that the target killings in Karachi decreased drastically, and that all parties except the MQM were satisfied with the performance of the security forces.“All political parties, federal and provincial governments and security forces including intelligence institutions are on the same page,” he said.

“In August 2013, Dr Farooq Sattar – an MQM leader – requestedthe government to handover Karachi’s administrative control to the military and in the same month he announced the operation would be conducted under civil law enforcement agencies and the rangers would supervise it,” the minister said.

About the cases against Altaf and the MQM leadership in London, the interior minister said that Pakistan would continue to cooperate with the UK.“We will abide by the international laws. Money laundering is a serious crime,” he told a questioner, adding that Imran Farooq was a Pakistani and he was brutally killed.

He said all cases against the MQM chief were filed by citizens and not Sindh rangers.“We [the government] are being blamed even if we bring peace [in Karachi] on demand of the MQM, or cooperate with the UK police in Imran Farooq’s murder probe,” he said.