MURDER OF LIAQUAT ALI KHAN WAS A CONSPIRACY OF THE MILITARY BUREAUCRACY – ALTAF HUSSAIN

15 February 2001

Mr Altaf Hussain, Founder and Leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), said that none of the investigation about the catastrophic incidents in the country’s history have been brought to light including the assassination of Mr Liaquat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of the country.  He said that the military bureaucracy murdered Liaquat Ali Khan and, “I demand that his murder should be investigated”.  He was addressing a large gathering in Sukkur, Sindh, of renowned journalists, representatives of business, Sindhi intellectuals and Sindhi elders over the telephone from London.

It is high time that we reflect as to what we have achieved in the 54 years of independence of Pakistan.  We could not liberate Kashmir, but even lost half of our own country and today Pakistan is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy surviving at the mercy of the World Bank and other western countries.  If the assistance of the World Bank and IMF are taken away then our own economy will certainly collapse, he declared.  Instead of evaluating the points I have raised and thinking rationally, the Establishment has branded me with treachery and disloyalty.  He said that the Establishment should consider the problems faced by the people of the country, particularly the people of Sindh and Balochistan.  He pointed out that MQM is blamed for many ills, whereas, MQM was formed in 1984 and what about the period before this?  What was happening before? The country was not lost during the existence of MQM.  It was Punjab that opposed the creation of Pakistan through the Unionist Party and after the independence; the elite class of Punjab had become part of the Establishment along with the military Generals.  It is a fact that at the time of the creation of Pakistan, a great number of bureaucrats were Mohajirs because Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah himself appealed to the Muslim bureaucrats to come to Pakistan and provide stability.  But very soon they became helpless at the hands of the Punjab’s feudal and elite class.  That is why despite the large number of Mohajir bureaucrats the conspiracy to assassinate Liaquat Ali Khan was never brought into the open.  Nawabzada Mirza Aitzaz Uddin, who was the Inspector General of Special Police, was carrying out the investigation but he along with all the important files he was going to Peshawar, when his plane was crashed near Jhelum and the entire files were disappeared.  The report into the investigation of this plane crash was never made public.  Similarly, the reports on the Bhawalpur incident and Ojhri Camp incident were never made public. Even the Hamoodur Rehman Commission Report made public for thirty years and probably would never have been brought into open if the Indian newspapers would not have issued part of it.  Talking about the 1973 Constitution, Mr Hussain said that why any action was not taken against those responsible for abrogating the 1973 Constitution.  Why Benazir Bhutto and the leadership of Pakistan Peoples Party did not investigate the death of Mr Z A Bhutto and his son Murtaza Bhutto, he asked.  The death of Shah Nawaz Bhutto under mysterious circumstances was not investigated and facts were not brought to light.  Mir Murtaza Bhutto was assassinated during Benazir Bhutto’s premiership but she has not informed even to her own diehard party workers as to who was responsible for this heinous crime.  She talks about hidden hands but why she does not point out the names of those hidden hands?  Mr Hussain reiterated that his elder brother Nasir Hussain and his nephew Arif Hussain were also assassinated along with over 15000 MQM workers but to date no investigation has been carried out to identify those responsible for these atrocities.  Mr Moeen Haider, when he was the Governor of Sindh, carried out some inquiries about the extra-judicial killings of some MQM workers, but despite becoming the Interior Minister, he has done nothing to take actions against the police personnel responsible for these extra-judicial killings.  During Nawaz Sharif’s premiership, he blamed the MQM workers for the assassination of Hakeem Saeed and named MQM workers Zulfiquar Haider and Amir Ullah.  Amir Ullah was sentenced to death by special court although it has been proved beyond doubt that he was not responsible for this murder.  Even the Chief Justice of Supreme Court has been supplied with the proof that Amir Ullah was not responsible for this murder but nothing has been done to date.  The courts have singularly failed to provide justice to the people of Pakistan.  Under the doctrine of necessity, the courts even legitimised the abrogation of the Constitution instead of punishing those responsible for the unconstitutional act.  MQM filed a petition consisting of 22 volumes in 1994 against the atrocities committed by the Establishment upon MQM workers but to date no action has been taken on this petition.  How can we expect justice from such courts, which delay justice beyond all reason?  Benazir Bhutto and others were very vocal about my going and facing the courts in Pakistan but since she has been herself charged for various crimes, why does not she go and face the courts in Pakistan?  The court sentenced Nawaz Sharif but he was allowed to leave the country with all his wealth, relations, and family members without the court’s knowledge.  Even the President used his discretion to reprieve Nawaz Sharif’s punishment, why he does not reprieve Dr Farooq Sattar and other leaders of Sindh and Balochistan who are being incarcerated on false and fabricated charges.  The system is so biased that Z A Bhutto was hanged on the charge that he gave instructions for the murder of one person, whereas, on Nawaz Sharif’s and Shahbaz Sharif’s instructions thousands of arrested people including MQM workers were extra-judicially murdered including Fasih Ahmed Jugnoo, but no action has been taken.  Furthermore, people from Sindh and Balochistan are being imprisoned on false and fabricated charges.  Why this double standard?  Who is responsible for this discriminatory treatment and bias, he asked?  It is an unfortunate fact that the interests of Mohajir and Sindhi capitalists and waderas lie with in the Punjabi Establishment.  But we have to activate the masses of the country, particularly Sindh province to come forward and struggle for their rights.  Sindhi speaking people have to create a Movement among their middle class and poor people.  If they do not then they will remain under subjugation forever.  The rich people of Sindh are trading the interests of Sindh with the Establishment.  The Establishment is working on the policy of divide and rule between the Urdu speaking and Sindhi-speaking people of the province.  We must now shake hands and forget the past mistakes and join for a unified struggle.  He invited the Sindhi-speaking people to join Muttahida Quami Movement, but if they think that MQM cannot work for their rights then they can create their own Movement among the middle class and poor people.  We should announce for the rights of Sindh and asked the Establishment to grant autonomy to all the provinces in the spirit of 1940 Resolution and keep the portfolios of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Currency with the Centre and the army should be reconstituted with equal representation from all the provinces.  I am ready to work as an ordinary worker with sincere Sindhi Movement of middle class and poor people but if my Sindhi brothers consider that I should lead them then I am ready for that also.  You have all tried other parties, now give the MQM a chance and join us wholeheartedly.  I will struggle for the rights of the Sindhi speaking people in the same manner as I have done for the rights of Mohajirs ever since the creation of the MQM.  Mr Hussain said that those Punjabis, Pakhtoons, Seraikis and Baloch who are permanently settled in Sindh and are making their livelihood in Sindh should also struggle for the rights of Sindh and must not look continuously towards Punjab and NWFP. It is high time that the people of Sindh should join hands and struggle from a united platform.  I once again appeal to you to join hands with the MQM and struggle for the rights of Sindh.