Why did MQM dissidents raise their voice?

By our correspondent

HYDERABAD: Amid the changed political scenario of volatile Sindh, when the government is engaged in tackling the rapidly deteriorating law and order situation, the formation of another group within the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has raised many questions.

Apparently, the the resignations of group of seven of Muttahida is surprising, but it will pave the way for Muttahida to decide the future course of politics. It all happened when the Coordination Committee of the MQM came to the conclusion the MQM is loosing popular support, sources said.

In this regard, a committee arrived here last month and interviewed the local office-bearers for getting their opinion. The team, as party insiders told The News, left Hyderabad with divided opinion, as party leaders favoured and opposed a new move on technical grounds.

As this exercise was in progress in Karachi, Hyderabad and other urban centres of Sindh, the party leadership felt that the supporters and activists of Muttahida should be involved in some sort of activism, a sector committee member said.

The spirit of the rebel Muttahida leaders has attracted young workers and supporters, as the repeated operations, unending crackdowns and indifferent attitude of the government towards Mohajirs is causing unrest. The group of seven, living in self-exile in London and New York, are wanted by government agencies, and not a single person would return to Pakistan, but they would dictate the youths, now mentally divided in groups.

A couple of dozen workers and supporters of MQM, interviewed by this scribe, hailed the dissidents' action, but reluctantly said that it would pave the way for deciding the direction that would lead ultimately towards destination. A die hard worker, who twice was put behind bars, said they still believed in the leader, not in the destination, (Humain Manzil Naheen, Rehnuma Chahiye).

As the tussle with the government is increasing, the activist cadre is thinking to opt for "do or die" approach. It was expected since long since an extremist group was consistently pressurising the leadership of Muttahida, headed by its founder Altaf Hussain, to take quick decisions on the "bashing" of MQM workers and supporters, said a unit incharge of Muttahida.

The sudden rise in police raids and crackdown on MQM workers and supporters also paved the way for what Ghous Ali Shah said repeatedly -- the beginning of political process in the province. It has been witnessed during the last one week in Hyderabad that police had reached an understanding with the Muslim League leadership over a package deal against the arrest of Muttahida supporters. A Leaguer said on condition of anonymity that in a bid to get rid of MQM terror, police would arrest supporters and workers of MQM, either wanted or innocent, and would release them on condition that they would say goodbye to Muttahida.

The glaring example of package deal is the case of former activist of MQM, Shareef Kaalia, once the most wanted criminal, who turned a mid-city commercial residential thickly populated locality into a "No Go Area". He and his accomplices even looted valuables of millions of rupees from the lockers of UBL at Chotki Ghitti area. But since the time he has joined the League's students' wing, MSF, he is moving about freely in the city with a highly-placed police official of Hyderabad.

Another example of the package deal is the release of Naeem Arain, a sector committee member of Muttahida, Latifabad, who was picked up by CIA police. A press release issued by PRO to SSP had said police had arrested a terrorist, Naeem, who was wanted by them in 28 cases. But after two days, he was set free by the police at the intervention of Samiuddin Sajid, who claimed himself to be the political adviser to Minister of State for Water and Power Captain Haleem Siddiqi.

The package has attracted some Muttahida activists, mostly those who are involved in minor crimes, but due to various reasons the Muttahida leadership had kept them sidelined, said a leader of Muslim League. Rasheed Naghar, a local PML leader, told this scribe that they were offering this package to Muttahida youths against giving up MQM politics "based on hatred and ethnic grounds", with the "cooperation" of police.