Altaf Hussain in land of his choosing

Under the Freedom of Information Act, the British government breaks its silence over affairs of the MQM leader Altaf Hussain in London with a confirmation that he wrote a letter in September 2001 to the British Prime Minister against the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), also offered MQM support to the UK government in countering terrorism to achieve equitable participation in governing Sindh and share in power in the Centre; a feat the MQM denied following its war of words with Dr Zulifqar Mirza. Of late the MQM chief Altaf Hussain is under scrutiny on multiple counts starting from the murder of Dr Imran Farooq, money laundering worth at least 400,000 pounds, incitement to violence in Pakistan from London. The ground reality is that the MQM leader, having no personal source of living, spends millions of pounds annually on lavish life style. In name of party management, his followers collect so-called donation from the general public that straight away goes to Chief’s account by one mean or the other. The MQM chief is not the only leader indulged in such practices. All Sardars from Balochistan living in the so-called exile are acting on the same lines. Some of the corrupt former bureaucrats too used the same ploy. While abroad, especially likes of Rehman Malik re-established themselves with their ill-gotten money and returned home to rule the masses and serve their foreign masters. Hence Altaf Hussain’s letter to the UK prime minister is not an exception. Notwithstanding the MQM denials, there is hardly any doubt that the MQM Chief Altaf Hussain left Pakistan to escape trial in more than 30 cases, and The British Government offered him protection allowing him to exercise his control over party from London. So many years, the MQM leader was living on money extracted from Pakistan yet the self pro-claimed champion of the law the British government never bothered to question him. Today when the MQM chief turned his pressure tactics to the British government, it resorted to exposing the true face of Altaf Hussain, describing the MQM as one of the most feared political organizations in Pakistan. Every Pakistani knows it that Altaf Hussain had been using violence for his personal gains. Today one ex-party man found courage to speak against his peer, and tomorrow many others will do the same. Once the UK government stops misuse of its land against Pakistan by its national—be he is Altaf Hussain or any body else. Breaking unnecessary silence over the role of MQM Chief Altaf Hussain in Pakistan politics, the government should offer every possible help in the investigations—after all the man has neither served his community nor the country he was born in. He had questionable credentials here but Pakistan could not take him to task for one reason or the other. Now he should prove in a country of his choosing that he is a well-behaved, civilized person and a law abiding citizen therein the UK.