Jemima attacks Altaf again

LONDON: Influential Conservative Party MP and former Secretary of State for the Department for International Development (DFID) Andrew Mitchell has revealed that the “case” of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain has “always left me feeling extremely uneasy”.
Mitchell said this while answering questions from Jemima Khan, the former wife and mother to two children, of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, for the weekly New Statesman magazine.
The question that Jemima Khan, a leading London socialite who is also associate editor of the New Statesman, asked Andrew Mitchell, is set to renew skirmishes between the MQM and Ms Khan, for she has previously criticised the MQM, provoking the party to issue its own share of criticism towards Ms Khan and her former husband.
“Do you think the government is wrong not to have taken action against MQM leader Altaf Hussain, a known terrorist based in London since the 1990s, and given a British passport in 2002?,” asked Jemima Khan, prompting the Tory MP to reveal more than he wanted to.
The question now being asked is, what is it that the former top minister knows, which has made him “extremely uneasy” about the MQM and its presence in Britain? Could it be discussions which took place at cabinet meetings in 10 Downing Street or was the minister briefed by Pakistani authorities during his long-term association with the country, both when he was a shadow development minister and in his role as the International Development Secretary?
Mitchell has travelled to Pakistan many times. He visited Pakistan during the floods in 2010 and then in 2011. He played an active part in raising funds for the flood victims. In his role within the current coalition government, Mitchell announced to double Britain’s aid contribution to Pakistan.
Andrew Mitchell may soon return to front benches after having resigned over the “plebgate” scandal. It has since emerged that the senior

MP didn’t call the police officers “plebs” as alleged, leading to his departure from the cabinet amid controversy. Indeed, he is known amongst his colleagues in Parliament as a gentleman.
In a wide-ranging interview for the NS, Mitchell talked about a host of issues but on the question of Altaf Hussain, he clearly suggested that he is privy to vast confidential information that he may have come across in his senior roles in the government and opposition but he held back from disclosing saying exactly what information it is that has made him so “uneasy”.
Both Jemima Khan and her magazine failed to use the word “alleged” terrorist for Altaf Hussain because while there are several allegations against the MQM leader in Pakistan and there are three investigations concerning him in the UK, he has never been charged with any crime in Britain.
Usually, media is careful in its reporting due to the confines of the defamation laws but the magazine clearly didn’t care for this rule and called Altaf Hussain “a known terrorist”.
The NS failed to answer questions as to why it had referred to Altaf in that manner and whether it will make a correction and tender an apology to him but the MQM supporters took to the social media sites to criticise Jemima Khan. Some referred to Jemima’s recent trysts with the comedian Russell Brand. One commented on the NS magazine site: “How can you just refer to him as a “Terrorist”? Even if you want to be very filling you can use “accused” at most. Shameful and biased.”
Interestingly, Jemima tweeted her article and even though her Altaf question was only one of many other unrelated questions as the interview focused on several other issues, this was the only question, she chose to highlight by tweeting Mitchell’s answer. Was she waving a red flag? The MQM has recently seen itself coming under criticism from the western press, which has levelled several allegations against the party. It is unlikely that the party will file a case against a powerful magazine and its even more influential associate editor for fear of attracting even more negative publicity.