Altaf Hussain backs reopening of Khokhrapar route
Daily Dawn
28,October 2003
KARACHI, Oct 27: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has put his weight
behind the demand for the reopening of Khokhrapar-Monabao rail link between
Pakistan and India and said that integrity of the people and leaders of Sindh
should not be questioned on making such a demand.
He was addressing members of the Legal Aid Committee of his party Sunday night.
Members of the Adhoc Committee were also present on the occasion. Mr Hussain's
remarks came a few days after the 12-point Indian peace proposals, which
included revival of Khokhrapar route, were announced.
He regretted reports appearing in some newspapers of Punjab that if Khokhrapar
route was reopened, then Sindhi leaders would have direct contacts with Indians.
Mr Hussain said: "When a bus service is started between Amritsar and Lahore
and a train service is opened between the two cities, no one questions the
integrity of the people of Punjab. Such an attitude only means that we have not
learnt lessons from the events of 1971. Such attitude have boosted intolerance,
lack of trust, and hatred."
Mr Hussain said that when parliamentarians and members from other walks of life
from Punjab visited India and talked of promoting peace, no one questioned their
integrity. No one said anything when Maulana Fazalur Rahman headed a peace
mission to India. But it is regrettable that when someone from Sindh visits
India, his integrity is questioned, which is not acceptable and justified. He
said that such a thinking could lead to a disaster.
While reviewing the consequences of foreign policy initiatives during the past
56 years, he claimed that owing to short-sighted and adhoc approach, Pakistan
did not maintain friendly relations with Afghanistan and India. With China also,
he added, Pakistan was not at the same level of understanding.
Mr Hussain stressed that there was a need to learn a lesson from the failure of
the policy of relying on foreign powers who could not save Pakistan from
fragmentation in 1971. He emphasized that lack of trust (in countrymen) would
not be helpful in forging national unity which was imperative in view of the
evolving security environment in South Asia.
The MQM chief also expressed his concern over growing Indo-Israel relationship
and also over the hardened Indian position against Pakistan which, he said, was
indicative of a future threat.
He cautioned against revival of religious intolerance and warned that if such
elements were propped up with official support, this could be very bad for the
country.
Mr Hussain called for improving communication and understanding among different
groups of people within the country and the region. He also directed the Legal
Aid Committee to continue its efforts for seeking release of interned activists.
Altaf Hussain praises Sindh people’s patriotism
The News
28 October 2003
KARACHI: The chief of Muttahida Quami Movement, Altaf Hussain, has declared that doubting patriotism of Sindh’s people and its leaders over the issue of opening Khokhrapar border with India could affect the national integrity and unity of the country.
Addressing the members of the Legal Aid Committee of the
party at Nine Zero, Azizabad, Altaf advised the rulers to take the people of all
provinces into confidence before making the
future policies of the country.
He said that national and regional situation needed national integration, unity and consensus among the people.
Expressing concern over the attitude of some leaders, the Muttahida chief said that the rulers had no right to doubt the patriotism of any province and warned that such attitude would not be in the interest of the country.
He said that some leaders of Punjab through their statement were creating doubts that the Sindh leaders would establish their contact with India if the Khokhrapar border was opened. He said that such negative attitude was hurting the feelings of Sindh’s people.
The Muttahida leader said that the people of Sindh were blamed if they talked about opening of Khokhrapar border but nobody opposed and doubted over the restoration of bus and train service from Punjab to India.
The Muttahida chief said that the same attitude and negative
trend were adopted in 1971
and the result of that attitude was not in the interest of
Pakistan. He further said that there was a need to discourage such trends.
He opined no allegation should be leveled against any unit of the federation as the country could not afford this childish attitude.
He asked as to how the national integrity and unity could be developed when doubts were being created against the patriotism of a province and its people. He said there was need to change this negative trend and negative attitude.
Altaf pointed out that nobody criticised when the leaders, legislators and people of different walks of life, belonging to Punjab, talked about Pak-India friendship and visited India.
He said nobody raised any objection when Maulana Fazal-ur- Rehman
visited India and openly talked about Pak-India friendship. But when the
leaders, belonging to Sindh, talked about this friendship, they were
criticised and their patriotism was doubted.
Criticising the country’s foreign policy, the Muttahida chief said that the policy makers always thought about the interests of America and other foreign powers and never considered the interests of the country.
He said that the result of the country’s foreign policy and
decisions taken by the rulers proved that it was not in the
interest of the country.
He said that the country had not good relations with Iran, Afghanistan and even China because of the foreign policy of the country.
He said instead of taking steps to improve the relations with
the neighbors, the religious leaders and the rulers always looked towards
America and
Europe.
The Muttahida chief said that the country would suffer if the
religious extremism was
promoted directly or indirectly in the country.
Altaf asked the rulers to take notice of the way in which
religious extremism was being promoted. This could affect the country, he added.