Altaf’s anti-Pakistan speech ignites arson, gherao by MQM men

KARACHI/LONDON: After an extremely aggressive anti-Pakistan speech of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Monday, angry party workers attacked several media houses in the city and created a serious law and order situation.

During the violence, a passer-by was killed while several others were injured, including the staff of the ARY TV and policemen.Moreover, MQM workers also set alight police vehicles and damaged public and private property. During the crackdown made by the LEAs after the violence, 15 activists of the MQM were rounded up.

Soon after the violence, MQM leaders Farooq Sattar and Khwaja Izharul Hassan, Amir Khan, Dr Amir Liaquat and others were detained by the Rangers personnel. Farooq Satttar, Khawaja Izhar and other MQM office-bearers had arrived at the Karachi Press Club to address a press conference where Sindh Rangers personnel took them into custody.

Amir Khan was arrested from the MQM headquarters Nine-Zero, while Amir Liaquat was detained from the II Chundrigar Road. The Rangers personnel, in the wee hours, surrounded the MQM headquarter Nine-Zero, conducted a search operation, and sealed it. The official website of the MQM was also shutdown by the authorities. Later all MQM offices in Karachi and other parts of Sindh were also sealed.

Earlier, MQM chief Altaf Hussain made a speech full of incitement of violence using British soil and as a result media houses in Karachi came under violent attack. Altaf Hussain, speaking on phone from his Edgware home, ordered attacks on the offices of Karachi-based media houses of Geo Television Network, ARY and Samaa News early on Monday morning and within seconds vehicles of these channels were attacked and armed men ran over one of the channels mentioned by the MQM leader.

Altaf Hussain went to the highest extreme and called for the break-up of Pakistan and predicted that the country of over 180 million will cease to exist.  Addressing his workers who were on hunger strike, Altaf let his guard off and questioned his followers why they had not attacked Geo News, Samaa and ARY for “not showing the picture of your bhai” and for not giving enough coverage. In a clear act of incitement, Altaf Hussain asked his workers to “take action” against media and immediately afterwards media houses were subjected to violent attacks by armed men hiding their faces.

An agitated Altaf Hussain told his followers that it was unfair that the media didn’t show his face on television screens – because of the court orders banning appearance of Altaf Hussain – and then asked his followers why they had not “broken” these channels over this. “Tell me, why didn’t you break these channel? How can go this go on in Karachi that your leader’s photo can’t be displayed?”

He then asked his followers to teach these channels a lesson and repeated his demand thrice: “Teach them a lesson. Punish them in such a way that they should never forget it.” He asked his workers: “Why don’t you take action against these channels for not showing me?” At this a worker replied that “we can break their cameras, it’s our right to break” and then another worked said the same and Altaf Hussain said “bismillah” and the then chaos and violence followed.

Altaf then asked his workers if there were going towards Geo, Samaa and ARY. The workers replied affirmatively and the violence began.

On cue, the workers attacked vans of channels parked outside the hunger strike camp and the workers took charge of the rampage, burning vehicles, attacking citizens and blocking roads. As Altaf Hussain spoke, some workers promised him that “dead body” of a Pakistani leader will be produced before him and that they will bring PM Nawaz Sharif dragging if needed.

Altaf Hussain said that he would hang the dead body of Bilal Akbar in Karachi if he could get access to Israeli weapons. “I would put the DG Rangers on trial, will openly hang him and for three months will hang out his dead body to burn and dry.”

Speaking to Shahzeb Khanzada on Geo News, Federal Minister Pervaiz Rasheed said that the Pakistani govt will take up the issue of Altaf Hussain’s speech with the British government.

Speaking to this correspondent, a Scotland Yard spokesman said that it was aware of media reports concerning attacks on media in Karachi. “This is a matter for Karachi law enforcement. An investigation into speeches broadcast in Pakistan by an individual associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement is ongoing. We will not be discussing, to confirm or deny, any ongoing lines of enquiry.”

When approached by The News, a spokesman of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in London said: “UK laws on incitement of hatred or violence are clear. The police are responsible for the investigation of any allegation of criminal acts. Anyone with any evidence of criminal acts taking place or being planned in the UK should pass that information to the appropriate UK police force. The police take all allegations of crime extremely seriously and will respond appropriately to concerns raised with them.”

Repeated efforts were made to get version of the MQM international secretariat but nobody was available to make a comment on Karachi situation after Altaf Hussain’s speech.

When asked for legal opinion, two lawyers told this correspondent that Altaf Hussain has clearly broken UK’s law on incitement of hatred and anti-terrorism laws by openly urging attacks on media houses and attacking members of Pakistan’s law enforcement agencies. They said that Pakistan has a strong case against Altaf Hussain if the government takes up the latest outburst of Altaf seriously and then couples it with at least six other speeches which also violated the UK laws. They said that Pakistan, through its High Commission in London, can sue the Scotland Yard if no action is taken against Altaf Hussain in the British courts.

There is a long list of Altaf Hussain’s speeches which were in breach of the UK’s laws on violence but either Pakistan govt has not been effective in asking tough questions of the government or the Scotland Yard is involved in a huge cover up by not taking action and exhibiting extreme lack of will in three case involving the MQM – Dr Imran Farooq’s murder case; money-laundering investigation and the hate speech inquiry.

On March 11, 2015, Hussain had threatened Pakistan Rangers who had raided the offices of MQM in Karachi: “Those officers who raided Nine Zero, my house, were posing as brave, those who raided my house were scared although they were officers of Rangers. They have become a past tense. They existed but God willing they will cease to exist.”

Altaf Hussain, who is a British Citizen residing in London, said about the Rangers in Karachi on March 11, 2015 during a live interview on a private Pakistani channel: “At that time (1992) we were alone, in isolation, we fought back alone, kept faith in God. Asif Nawaz was murdered, those dogs that did the operation were killed like dogs.”

On April 30, 2015, Altaf Hussain asked the youth of Karachi to save their pocket money, buy arms, take commando physical training and learn how to shoot in Defence/Clifton areas of Karachi. Altaf Hussain said: “We will see whose blood will flow in the river Sindh.” Hussain also called on Indian authorities to provide help to the MQM.

On Sunday July 12, 2015, Altaf Hussain said: “The officers of the 1992 operations were murdered liked dogs, the officers doing the current operations will be murdered like pigs.”

A week later in July 2015, Altaf Hussain threatened that there will be “war on the streets” of Karachi and that “Pakistan will be turned into Somalia”.

On July 16, the MQM leader addressed his workers and issued direct threats to Director General of the Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) Rizwan Akhtar and the Director General of Sindh Rangers, General Bilal Akbar. “After the death of Rizwan Akhtar and Bilal Akbar, drag their bodies out of the grave and hang them on the roads,” he said.

Altaf Hussain could have been charged for hate crime over this speech but its not clear whether the Pakistani government raised this issue with the police and the government here.

On July 14, 2015, Altaf Hussain addressed a crowd in Karachi and openly issued threats to the DG Sindh Rangers Bilal Akbar by saying: “Bilal Akbar will be killed like a dog.”

Altaf Hussain made openly violent and inciting call to his workers on October 5, 2015 from London. He blasted the Rangers for Karachi operation and added: “That day will come when we will open their skulls and play football with them on our streets. No, wait. There may not be many takers for their skulls because they are so hated.”

The lawyers who spoke to this reporter said that a legal and criminal case against Altaf Hussain is now stronger than even before and Pakistani government can take private action in London too if the UK government doesn’t cooperate.

Later, police and eyewitnesses said on Monday afternoon, the MQM chief made a provocative speech at the Karachi Press Club and instigated his workers sitting on a hunger strike to attack the media houses, including Geo News, ARY and Samaa TV channels.

Afterwards, workers of the MQM moved towards the media houses. They first attacked cameraman Usman of Channel-24 and landed blows on him and then moved towards the Fawara Chowk, where they first attacked a policeman who was identified as Constable Qamar Zaman, 50.

Later, the violent protestors vandalised the Zainab Market and surrounded ARY TV channel's office. The violent protesters opened fire near the Fawara Chowk and the Madina Mall and made forceful closure of shops in the Zainab Market. The protesters also pelted stones on passing vehicles, damaging them.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Kunwar Asif of Saddar Division said that the aggressive workers of the MQM carried out aerial firing and pelted stones upon the ARY office near the Zainab Market after the address of MQM chief. He said about 1,500 to 2,000 MQM workers attacked the ARY office and pelted stones. In the rioting, SHO Saddar Peer Shabbir Haider was injured by a stone.

He added that PC Qamar Zaman, s/o Riaz Hussain, was severely injured in uniform by a blunt hard weapon on head. Also four persons were injured.

Moreover, in the violence spree, a police mobile, two motorcycles, including a Traffic Police motorcycle, were torched near the Fawara Chowk. The rioters also set alight a DSNG of ARY TV channel stationed outside their office.

Talking to The News, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Munir Shaikh of South Range said that the police had controlled the situation timely and stopped the miscreants. He added that they had rounded up about 13-15 activists who were involved in the violence and FIRs shall also be registered against them.

Hospital sources said that following the violence, they had received 13 injured of which one succumbed to his injuries during treatment. The deceased was identified as Arif, son of Abdul Saeed, 42, a resident of Liaquatabad, who died in a gun attack during the violence. The deceased was a passerby.

The injured were identified as Aslam, a resident of Landhi, who was injured due to bullet wounds. They added that other people injured due to stone, sticks and rods were Noman, a resident of New Karachi, Mohammed Rehan of NEO TV, Shabbir Ahmed of Samaa, Farah Mudassir of ARY, Saad Sultan of ARY, and others.

The Director General of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, Maj Gen Bilal Akbar, talking to the media, said that he had ordered strict and swift action against the miscreants who attacked the offices Geo, ARY, and Samaa in Karachi. “Nobody would be allowed to disrupt peace of the city," said the DG Rangers.

"We are closely monitoring the situation. Those who carried out the attack will be made to pay for every second," said Bilal Akbar in his statement. "Those who take the law into their hands will not be spared," he said.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Sindh Police said that Inspector-General of Sindh Police A D Khowaja had taken cognisance on stern basis the attack on offices of media houses and other violent incidents in the city involving rioting, stone pelting, and firing. The IG of Sindh Police in this regard sought a detailed probe report from the DIG South.

Sindh CM’s Adviser on Information Moula Bakhsh Chandio said that the attempt to damage peace of the city was highly condemnable and a sorrowful act.

The provincial information adviser said that police, Rangers, and other law-enforcement agencies had been taking every possible step to ensure due action against the miscreants who resorted to violence in the city. He said that personnel of police and Rangers had been deployed at the offices of media.

MQM's senior Rabita Committee member Mustafa Azizabadi, talking to a news channel from London, admitted that workers were incited for violence when the leader of the MQM was abused by these TV channels. He said for the last six days, they were at a hunger strike to death against the alleged injustices and atrocities against the MQM for the last three years.

The MQM hunger strike till death was started from August 17 and to-date 17 workers were in the strike, including Rabita Committee member Amir Khan.