DR. IMRAN FAROOQ WARNS S.M ZAFAR, DR JAVED IQBAL AND OTHERS ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF HURTING THE FEELINGS OF OVER 30 MILLION MOHAJIRS BY USING INFLAMMATORY AND DEROGATORY LANGUAGE ABOUT THEIR LEADER

 

London – 29 October 2000

 

The MQM’s Coordination Committee Convenor Dr. Imran Farooq has strongly condemned the threats made in declaring Mr. Altaf Hussain another Salman Rushdie by former law minister S.M Zafar, Retd Justice Dr. Javed Iqbal and others in a seminar held in Lahore, the capital of Punjab.  It seems that the chauvinist Punjabi mentality is bent upon taking the country to a point of no return, as they did in 1971.  He pointed out that according to the newspaper report, while talking about Mr. Altaf Hussain they warned the government that serious notice should be taken of such Salman Rushdies otherwise public would annihilate him.  Dr. Imran Farooq said that Mr. Altaf Hussain only wanted to know the answers to the serious questions about the Ideology of Pakistan (Nazaria-e-Pakistan) from the intellectuals and historians.  What justification is there for the chauvinist to get agitated about?  If they did not have the answers to the questions raised, they could accept this or have kept quiet.  There is no justification for using defamatory and threatening language.  He warned S.M Zafar, Dr Javed Iqbal  and other speakers, about the consequences of hurting the feelings of over 30 million Mohajirs by using inflammatory and derogatory language about their leader.  You should think before you speak, he warned.  If you call our leader Salman Rushdi, we may also use thousands of derogatory terms for you.  Before pronouncing your “fatwas” think carefully because we can also retaliate by pronouncing “fatwas” on you.  Addressing Mr S.M.Zafar he said that you call yourself a champion of human rights but you along with your companions are pronouncing disgraceful “fatwas”, is this befitting of your stature?  To pronounce the leader of thirty million people as Salman Rushdi to incite public to annihilate him is a criminal act.  Are such actions in the best interest of the country?  He further stated to S.M Zafar, Dr Javed Iqbal and other speakes that such speeches are not befitting to educated persons like you.  You should come forward and work to strengthen one nation concept in the country by raising your voice for the rights of the people of smaller provinces and do not damage the country any further.  However, the mentality you have displayed was responsible or the dismemberment of the country in 1971, and surrender by ninety three thousand soldiers of the armed forces, he concluded.