MQM IS AGAINST ALL SORTS OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM, TERRORISM AND TALIBANISATION – ALTAF HUSSAIN

London: 13 April 2009

Mr Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) is against all sorts of religious extremism, terrorism and Talibanisation and will not bow down to Talibanisation. He said this during his address to a gathering assembled under the aegis of MQM opposite 10 Downing Street in London, Residence of the British Prime Minister Rt.Hon Gordon Brown M P on Easter Monday, 13^th April 2009. The Assembly was to protest against the killings of 3 Baloch leaders in the province of Balochistan and flogging of the 16 years old innocent Pakhtun girl in Swat, Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP).  Hundreds of people from far-flung including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield and other cities of the United Kingdom besides the office bearers and workers of the MQM participated in this Protest Demonstration.  Condemning the barbaric murder of the 3 Baloch leaders, he demanded of the Government of Pakistan to commission an Inquiry, arrest the killers and give them an exemplary punishment. He said that MQM is against atrocities and barbarism committed in any part of the country or any nation and would raise its voice against it. He stressed that grant of total provincial autonomy to provinces is now essential to save Pakistan and the Federation shall accept the rights of the people of each provinces over its natural resources. Condemning the public flogging of the 16 years old Pakhtun girl by the Talibans, he said that it is not Islam but terrorism and Pakistan is being defamed in the entire world including Great Britain and Muslims especially the Pakistanis are being seen with scepticism in the world.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that for the past few years, he had been warning the people of Pakistan about the rapid Talibanisation but instead of taking cognisance, he was taunted of scaremongering unnecessarily. Even, some elements having vested interests levelled charges against him of conspiring against Pakhtuns under the garb of Talibanisation. But, having seen the flogging of the 16 years old innocent Pakhtun girl from their own eyes on Pakistani and international TV channels, the people must have reached to the conclusion whether Altaf Hussain was lying or those who were levelling charges against him. He further said that when he drew the attention towards Talibanisation, some elements claimed that he was talking against Pakhtuns. He stressed that today he was assuring again that he was not against Pakhtuns, Punjabis, Sindhis, Baloch, Kashmiris, Saraikis, Barohis, Hazarwals or any other ethnicity. Instead he was their friend because while their feudal and tribal lords were oppressing their own working people and middle class segments, he was the one who is struggling for their equal rights because he also belonged to the same class. He was not privileged; He was not feudal lord or tribal chief. Understand this. The ruling elites were scared of him because he was the only one who had genuinely challenged the “Status Quo” in Pakistan, Talibanisation, religious terrorism and extremism. He said that he wanted to empower the working people and the middle class segment but this was not possible until the demolition of the archaic feudal system. He said that he was not against the feudal but against those who victimise innocent sisters and daughters under the rubrics of “Honour Killings” and “Karo-Kari”. He said that if atrocities are committed on the daughter of the NWFP, Balochistan, Punjab or Sindh, every daughter was his daughter.

Mr Altaf Hussain exclaimed that he wished to make it clear today once again, that he was not against Pakhtuns but those who wished to thrust their own brand of Sharia on gun point and strength of their batons. He was against Talibans who wish to destroy girls’ schools and colleges denying them education and shutting the doors of employment on them. The Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be upon Him) had commanded that receiving education is the duty of all men and women while the Talibans are against women having education. Talibans are defaming the religion of Islam by committing acts against Sharia under the garb of Islam.