The News
24 October 2004

KARACHI: People from all walks of life have welcomed the news of a scheduled visit of Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain to India to attend a two-day conference, said a Muttahida statement. According to the statement, politicians, social workers and religious personalities expressed their best wishes to Altaf Hussain. Many people called Muttahida International Secretariat and Nine Zero saying that Altaf Hussain would present practicable proposals regarding the solution of Indo-Pak dispute and for the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries during the conference, it said. According to a spokesman of Muttahida Information department, Altaf Hussain would go to India in the month of November to attend a two-day conference titled ‘India and World’, to be held in Delhi.

ALTAF HUSSAIN INVITED TO INDIA FOR INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: LEAVING FOR DELHI TOWARDS THE BEGINNING OF NEXT MONTH,
SAYS AN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM LONDON
LONDON----22 October 2004 Mr  Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) will be visiting India towards the beginning of November 2004 for an international conference which will be participated by Dr Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India,  Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, President of the Congress Party, Mr John Major, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Dr Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, Mrs Chandrika Kumaratunga, President of Sri Lanka and Dr Hans Blix.

An announcement to this effect was made by the MQM International Secretariat in London. The announcement said that the two day-long conference, entitled “India and the World: A Blueprint for Partnership and Growth” aims at discussing prospects of India’s partnership with regional states and neighbours including Pakistan, cooperation in economic field and, strategic and political future and ways to strengthen it.

Another important aspect of the conference is to determine means to banish poverty from South Asia, and better Indo-Pakistan relations, strengthening of political, social and economic cooperation between the two major countries of the subcontinent.

The announcement added that Mr Altaf Hussain will present his own and MQM’s viewpoint on various subjects. Mr Altaf Hussain received the invitation for the conference by the leading Indian newspaper the Hindustan Times,. He has received another invitation from the chief of the premier Indian news agency ANI Mr Prem Parkash. The MQM leader will also pay respects at the shrines of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia in Delhi, and Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti Ajmeri in Ajmer.

It may be recalled that Mr Altaf Hussain had received a similar invitation from Hindustan  Times in December 2003 also, but he could not avail it because of unavoidable circumstances. The International secretariat of MQM in London has been receiving invitations from numerous Indian universities, social organizations and different schools of thought for interaction with them,, said the announcement.