Altaf behind Abidi’s murder, claims Vawda

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda has claimed that Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain is involved in the killing of Ali Raza Abidi.

Vawda while terming former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif a fast friend of Indian PM Modi accused him of being involved in maligning Pakistan Army and the judiciary besides his involvement in firing at the LOC.

Flanked by Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid at a press conference at Railways Headquarters here Friday, he said as per his analysis Altaf Hussain had direct involvement in the murder from London. Former MNA Ali Raza Abidi was shot dead outside his residence in Karachi on 25th December.

Vawda vowing to nab the killers at all cost and provide justice to family of late Abidi termed the incident an ‘internal fight of criminals’. “Despite political differences Abidi was a brother, a colleague and a friend,” he said and added with the help of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) they would soon reach the killers.

The federal minister said after 18th Amendment, which he opposed and would oppose, it was not the responsibility of the federal government but still it was helping the family of late Abidi. He warned that if any such incident happened again people would see criminals and dacoits dying in open. He added Altaf Hussain was a criminal and to a great extent his followers had left.

Faisal Vawda also endorsed Sh Rashid’s stance of opposing the appointment of Shahbaz Sharif as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and said, in a lighter vein, that they both were working as to how to change the prisoner identity of Nawaz Sharif from current 4,470 to 4,420. The former premier is serving a seven-year jail term in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference at Kot Lakhpat Jail where he has been allotted this prisoner number by the jail authorities.

To a question, Vawda said there was no development vis-à-vis Governor Raj in Sindh but added a forward bloc was growing while some people were also in contact with the PTI. He said there was also a development vis-à-vis creation of a separate party within the party (PPP).

He said the time of politics of ‘dry cleaning’ had passed and added his government was very clear on what it was going to do in Baldia Town incident. Speaking on the occasion, Sh Rashid said Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah should resign because of the massive garbage (corruption) unearthed. He said he was upset over Bilawal Bhutto’s speech as he thought Bilawal was mature enough not to play on the pitch of his father Asif Zardari.

Sh Rashid coming hard on Asif Zardari said Zardari had done a ‘PhD in Criminology’ and he was in contact with all criminals. He said he was not levelling allegations but saying with complete responsibility that when Zardari was in jail he had planned to develop contacts with criminals from different areas of the country and continued this contact till today. “I’ll be greatly hurt if Zardari used Bilawal,” he added.

The railways minister said Imran Khan came into power when looters and plunderers had done the maximum damage and added this rule was not easy. To a question, he said if Imran Khan did not show these people their right place, masses who voted him to power would complain.

Terming PML-N a mafia, Sh Rashid said 1997 attack on Supreme Court was done in such a planned way that even he could not realise as to how his workers were used in the attack. To a question, he reiterated that those found involved in corruption within the government should be given double punishment.

Earlier, Sh Rashid said entire nation and Pakistan Railways were thankful to Chief Justice Saqib Nisar. He said 1,490 cases of Pakistan Railways, including 123 top priority cases were in the courts since 1990 and Chief Justice Saqib Nisar ordered to decide these cases in 60 days. He said Business Train owed Rs2 billion to Pakistan Railways while Shalimar Hospital case was also in NAB for long now. “If needed we will also take this case to Supreme Court as well,” he added.