PTI, PPP and MQM-P’s policies and actions helping resuscitate dying legacy of Altaf: Kamal

Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal on Sunday said that no restrictions on the use of the symbol and flag of the party founded by Altaf Hussain, ethnically biased policies of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Sindh government, and incompetence of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Karachi had been resuscitating the fast-collapsing evil legacy of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) founder.

Kamal was addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club. PSP President Anis Kaimkhani and other leaders of the party accompanied him. The PSP chairman said MQM founder Altaf was trying to remain relevant in the socio-political discourse of the country through his most favourite game — terrorism.

He was of the view that three basic factors were primarily keeping alive the evil politics of Altaf. “First thing is that some people without conscience made MQM-Pakistan which is carrying Altaf Hussain's party symbol and flag. All these elements are actually trying to become heroes in front of Altaf Hussain, giving him a false impression that they have protected the party from a total collapse,” Kamal alleged.

He added that the second important factor which was keeping Altaf’s legacy alive was that Karachi had been given to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). “We were winning on the day of the 2018 general election, however, the results disappeared from the television screen, and later the PTI won. Dramatically, the winners remained asleep in their homes and the path of real public representatives was blocked.”

According to the PSP chief, the third factor that was helping resuscitate Altaf’s influence was the biased government of the PPP that had not been even giving the urban areas their legitimate constitutional rights.

He opined that the MQM founder was benefiting from the PPP's biased attitude towards the urban Sindh. “There is no water and electricity in Karachi and garbage is littered across the city. The Karachiites are deprived of government jobs. We never accepted the election results but still remained silent in the best interest of the country”.

“Our silence, the PTI's incompetence, and PPP's bias provided a lifeline to Hussain,” he said. “Despite all these grim circumstances, I would like to say that as long as the PSP is there, it shall not allow Altaf Hussain's terrorism to succeed at any cost.”

Imran Farooq case

Commenting on the verdict in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case, Kamal said he had been silent since the verdict came because he wanted to see if the representatives of the so-called Muhajir community would admit their wrongdoings. He added that his silence was of no avail.

“Ten years after the incident and considering all the evidence, according to the verdict of the court, Hussain ordered the assassination of MQM convener Imran Farooq," the PSP chairman said.

He remarked that for the past four years, his party always had a clear stance regarding Dr Imran Farooq’s murder. We had been saying for the last four years exactly the same thing which has now been proven by the judiciary.”

He said the Dr Imran Farooq murder case was not investigated by Pakistani intelligence agencies but by British agency Scotland Yard, after which no one could allege that the decision was made on the basis of any prejudice.

Kamal asked the Muhajir community if he had not told them that Altaf and the MQM had mortgaged your children. “No individual in the MQM can become a stalwart as Farooq. If Altaf can give orders to murder a great leader like Farooq, then to Altaf no life of any worker matters,” he said.

“Think about those mothers and sisters when pictures of their sons and brothers circulate in the media as barbaric murderers. Will Altaf adopt the children of these killers? Altaf Hussain has destroyed generations after generations,” he said. "We rebelled against Altaf Hussain because we came to realise these facts.”

The PSP chairman claimed that the Dr Imran Farooq murder case would prove to be the last nail in the coffin of a handful of people who were still misleading the nation. “Now the father of the Muhajir community has become the architect of Sindhu Desh,” he remarked.

He went on to say that the MQM founder only needed bloodshed because RAW provided him money only to shed blood. To assert his point he said when the MQM was on the rise, around 22 boys used to get killed every day.

“I curse those who call the murderer of Muhajir youth as the father of the Muhajirs. Now, Hussain and Sindh separatist Shafi Burfat group are carrying out terrorist attacks in Sindh again,” he said.

He also responded to his critics who held the opinion that there was no difference between the PSP and MQM. “Let me tell you the difference between us and MQM. It is the same as between believers and hypocrites. “We called Altaf the terrorist, the murderer when no one dared to speak against him while the MQM-Pakistan disassociated itself from Altaf on the night of August 22 after Altaf Hussain chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and they were sure that the Article 6 proceedings shall start against them if they did not dissociate themselves from him”.

Karachi’s issues

After the 18th amendment, all the resources are with the provinces, Kamal said. “If you want to get freedom from someone, take it from the corrupt rulers and not from the state.”

He said the Provincial Financial Commission award was not being announced after the National Financial Commission award. Until the powers are devolved to the lowest level, the provinces will not be independent, he remarked.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan says the solution to Karachi's problems is an empowered mayor who is directly elected. Has he brought such a system where there are PTI’s provincial governments? Have the mayors of Lahore and Peshawar been directly elected?” he asked.

Kamal said there are contradictions in the words and actions of the PM. “The federal and provincial governments have not come up with a single new project for Karachi,” he added.

Karachi pays 70 per cent of its revenue to the federation and 90 per cent to Sindh, he said, adding that People like Altaf and Burfat were benefiting from PPP's bias and PTI's incompetence.

He said the federal and provincial governments were turning people into terrorists with wrong decisions. He was of the view that the situation in different districts of Sindh was also bad. Kids were dying due to dog bites in Larkana and due to hunger in Thar, he remarked.

He said the subsidy given to K-Electric had been halved, which meant that the electricity would will come 20 per cent more from next month. "The coronavirus is spreading fast. We may have to set up quarantine centres in every UC. The rulers will not do anything because they are not yet able to tell whether the lockdown is smart or ugly, and the difference between curfew and lockdown.”