POLICE AND THE ADMINISTRATION NOT TO BECOME A PARTY TO THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND ILLEGAL ACTS OF GOVERNMENT -- ALTAF HUSSAIN

Karachi-3 September 1999

Mr Altaf Hussain, the founder and leader of the MQM has said that a day will come when Nawaz Sharif and his "Political Agent" Ghous Ali Shah would find themselves in the court of the people where people will hold them accountable for their atrocities and excesses. Mr Hussain said this while making an indirect address to a huge public rally at "Fresco Chowk", Karachi over a mobile telephone. The provincial administration had severed all the telephone lines of the entire area in order to stop Mr Hussain making a telephonic address to the rally. Mr Altaf Hussain, seeing this situation, phoned Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Deputy Convenor of the party on his mobile telephone and asked him to repeat all his words which indeed was innovative and unique in the political history of Pakistan.

At the beginning of his address, Mr Altaf Hussain welcomed the public and expressed his gratitude for their support and making the rally a success despite all the hurdles and blockades put by the government of Nawaz Sharif. It is pertinent to mention that the Sharif government had vowed that it would not allow the MQM to hold this rally and consequently had deployed more than 90,000 police in Karachi including 10,000 police in and around the "Fresco Chowk" alone.

Mr Altaf Hussain reiterated that the day is not far away when Nawaz Sharif and his "Political Agent" Ghous Ali Shah would find themselves accountable in an open court of the public, similar to this rally for their barbarism.

Addressing the rally, Mr Altaf Hussain appealed to the senior functionaries of the Police and Administration not to act as personal servants of Nawaz Sharif and further asked them to refuse carrying out illegal and unconstitutional order of the present government being a member of the law enforcement agencies and a Pakistani. He asked them not to become a party to the excesses and atrocities of the government.

Mr Altaf Hussain asked the people and his party members not to be provoked and react against the police excesses as they (policemen) are carrying out only the orders of their superiors. He unequivocally pronounced that we do not have any conflicts or acrimony with ordinary policemen nor will we ever have in future. He said that common policemen are our brothers and we hold no complaints against them

Mr Hussain appealed to all the men, women and children to stay at home on 4 September 1999 and make the MQM's strike call a great success and prove it a milestone of unity. He also appealed to the traders, businessmen, transporters and people belonging to all other walks of life to keep their businesses shut on 4 September 1999 to register their peaceful protest against the tyranny of the present regime.