PAKISTAN: MQM - DRUGS & TERRORISM IN KARACHI

20 Apr, 2009 Dr Shahid Qureshi


"If you can’t baffle them with brilliance, dazzle them with bullshit!"
said probably Lord Nelson, this is exactly what Altaf Hussain
outsourced in London ‘telephone based’ leader of MQM and Rehman Malik
doing? Altaf Hussain claimed his supporters in Karachi increased by 10
million in just two years because he claimed to have 20 million
supporters in an interview with Edgware Times in November 1998. But in
2001 MQM claimed to have 30 million supporters when MQM send a fax to
Reuters on 22 September 2001. "(MQM leader) Altaf Hussain has offered
the unconditional support of over 30 million MQM supporters to the
U.S. president and the international community," its London-based
international secretariat said in a statement faxed to Reuters.
September 22, 2001.


Altaf Hussain’s MQM has caused more economic and human losses to
Pakistan by strikes and terrorist activities then wars with India?
There are reports that MQM has issued thousands of arms licences to
its workers and sympathisers in Karachi and some of the licences might
have been issued from other provinces. According to a source, ‘Altaf
group is planning and preparing for armed fight with other groups in
Karachi especially on 12th May 2009’. There might be a plan to divide
Karachi on ethnic zones as Rehman Malik mentioned in Dera Ismail Khan?
The alleged transfer of money from Karachi to London, Germany, Dubai,
South Africa, Canada, and United States is alarming. There reports of
increase in the arms sale in Karachi seem serious but what are the
authorities doing?

Ms Bhutto, “condemned the killings of police officers and said, my
thoughts are with families of those killed in the line of duty. She
demanded that (Musharraf) government should brought killer/ terrorists
to justice and protects the men doing their job and following orders”.
Some people say that MQM is more dangerous then any terrorist
organisation’.

Elements close to MQM were also allegedly involved in the terrorism,
arson, and killings in December 2007, after the tragic death of
Benzair Bhutto. Many analysts believe that it was a dry run by the
foreign sponsored elements to separate Karachi from the rest of the
country. The second dry run was done by Rehman Malik interior minister
and gatekeeper of ‘Zardari Empire’, with ‘container blockade’ on 16th
March 2009 when he closed down inter-province borders with containers.
So what is Altaf Hussain up to now that is a crucial question to
political and security leadership to think about. His alleged close
links with the Indian agency and also acting like a mercenary force
getting orders from foreign masters.

After September 11, the United States identified even more with the
MQM as it was the only party in Pakistan that widely mourned the
attacks on the US, openly condemned the Taliban and al-Qaeda, and
launched a powerful campaign in support of the US attack on
Afghanistan. Latterly, the MQM has been the only party to support the
military's intervention in the tribal areas.

Asia Times Online reported, ‘sources say that, ‘only US diplomatic
intervention stopped Musharraf from taking strong action against the
MQM after he received the report on the recent unrest in which the MQM
was implicated. Washington indeed has a powerful southern ally in
Pakistan’.

It is time for the government of Pakistan to approach its friends and
allies to have a clear cut answers about the real Agenda in Pakistan?
Crimes of Altaf Hussain and his party MQM are so heinous that he
couldn’t dare going back to Karachi even the whole period of Musharraf
and now Zardari rule?

The government of Pakistan says it will let the current legal
proceedings take their course against Altaf Hussein, the leader of the
MQM. The Minister of Information, Mushahid Hussein, said the
government had not so far sought his extradition from Britain on
November 8, 1998.The minister was responding to reports in a British
Sunday newspaper that Pakistan was seeking his return to face trial.
Altaf Hussein faces charges of terrorism, abduction, and torture in
Pakistan.

I asked late Benzair Bhutto at dinner in London few years ago to
comment on the targeted killings on reportedly more then 670 police
officers in Karachi. Most of them killed had taken part in the Karachi
Operation conducted by the PPP government. Ms Bhutto, “condemned the
killings of police officers and said, my thoughts are with families of
those killed in the line of duty. She demanded that (Musharraf)
government should brought killer/ terrorists to justice and protects
the men doing their job and following orders”. Some people say that
MQM is more dangerous then any terrorist organisation’.

While talking to Edgware Times a local paper Altaf Hussain explained
his plight: "It is never easy running a movement. One has to sacrifice
many things -- Jesus Christ sacrificed for his people." He is
receiving full support of Qadiyani leader, their International
Secretariat, and network?

Until November 1998 Government of Pakistan was reportedly seeking
extradition of Altaf Hussain who was said to be wanted in 50 murders
and 150 cases of kidnapping and arson. Altaf Hussain, a trained
pharmacist who has been living in England since 1992. ‘If extradited
to Pakistan he will be killed’, said Altaf Hussain in an interview
with a newspaper in 1998. "It is my wish that they take me to trial in
a British court," said Mr Hussain. "Then I will tell people nationally
and internationally what has been happening in Pakistan."

MQM’s deputy chief organiser of district Thattat and his wife were
arrested by the police for trafficking 120 kilos of A class drugs
according to a press report on 16th May 2004. Mohamed Ibrahim and his
wife Ayesha Soho who is also member of district government were coming
from Bolan area of Baluchistan on Jeep number BC 1248 when they were
stopped by Dadar Police who discovered 180 kilos of HASH worth
millions of from the secret compartments of the jeep.

Police has registered a case number 13/2004 report against deputy
chief of MQM and his wife for drug trafficking. Area in charge SHO of
the area Police confirmed that suspects have confessed they have been
also involved in arms trafficking from Kabul and been to Afghanistan
three times. Both were sent to SIBI jail in Baluchistan.

“MQM has been funded with the drug money apart from the money taken
from the top businessmen in the name of support” according to a report
published by The Frontier Post on December 25, 1998. The report says,
“… What is more alarming is that the narco dollars have been used for
funding the (MQM), a responsible source in the provincial government
said. He added that such funding was tantamount to fuelling
terrorism.” Is the Narco-terror funding still on?

(Dr Shahid Qureshi is senior award wining investigative journalist and
writer on security, foreign policy, and terrorism based in London) The
London Post