ALTAF SAYS HE WILL REMAIN A PAKISTANI

London Jan 24

MQM founder Altaf Hussain has said that he has no intention of renouncing the Pakistani citizenship, despite the grant of permanent residence status by the Britain, and would welcome the Islamabad demand for his extradition, because that will enable him to expose the brutalities of the Pakistani authorities in British courts.

He hailed the grant of permanent residence status by the UK administration as a "victory for a right cause, and a moment of triumph for all those oppressed", in his country. Altaf was allowed an indefinite right to live in England by the British Home Office yesterday, and can now enjoy the rights equivalent to those available to UK citizens.

When approached by PPI Correspondent Salahuddin Haider for comments on Sunday night, Altaf said he bowed his head in humility to God Almighty for being so merciful. He and millions of his supporters had felt confidence that their cause was right and waiting for their honour to be vindicated. They had moment of triumph.

The Pakistani government, he said, had brutalised them, sending them to jails and inflicting torture on them for demanding justice, but had forgotten that there were administrations in the world, which believed in rule of law, and fairplay. The British government's decision to uphold his appeal for justice had come at a time when the MQM and its supporters needed support. "It is a victory for the 98 percent downtrodden and oppressed people of the country" Altaf was asked direct question as to whether he would apply to the Pakistan embassy for the renewal of his passport which had expired, and whether he thought that the high commission in London would accept his request, or deny him the passport because of the large number of cases pending against him in Pakistan.

He said that the MQM's coordination committee in Karachi and the party's international secretariat in London was busy examining the matter. Now that he has been allowed to travel throughout the world freely, he would personally be in favour for a Pakistani passport, but if the high commission in England dilly-dallied over the matter, he would seek British travel documents to visit the overseas branches of the MQM.

He said he had been flooded with invitations from all over the world to visit these branches and he was busy finalising his priorities, but he was keen to visit the MQM offices abroad and meet his supporters as well as the human rights organisations, and world statesmen like Nelson Mandela to inform them about the state oppression in Pakistan, and the shameful treatment to which his party members and supporters have been and were being subjected at home.

"But you will remain a Pakistani or do you intend renouncing your Pakistani nationality?" Altaf was asked bluntly again. He replied that he was downright Pakistani and would remain so. He would love to be in Pakistan and to be with his people, but was being time and again advised by the people to stay away from home, at least for more time.

Asked what would happen if the Pakistan government requests for his extradition to face the charges of murder, terrorism etc, he said he would welcome that. "I will have a chance to challenge all such requests in British courts, and will be delighted to face and expose the Pakistan government and its ruthless state apparatus in British courts, which are a model of justice and fairplay, and which not only believe, but follow in letter and spirit, the rule of law and all its concomitants" Altaf said.

ENDS PPI