The Muttahida Qaumi Movement will hold demonstrations across the world against Imran Khan’s allegations on Altaf Hussain.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief has blamed the MQM chief for the murder of Zahra Shahid Hussain, the senior vice-president of the PTI.
At a press conference in Khursheed Begum Secretariat on Sunday, Dr Farooq Sattar said that Khan had hurt the sentiments of millions of followers of Hussain by hurling baseless allegations. Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and other members of the MQM coordination committee were also present.
He said the details of the murder of Zahra were not available whether it was a target killing incident or the outcome of a street crime. “The hatred of Khan against the MQM would be requited but in a democratic, legal and constitutional manner,” he added.
“If everything has to be blamed on the MQM, then the falling of Khan off the forklift in Lahore should also be blamed on the MQM,” Sattar said sarcastically. “Back in 1994, social worker Abdus Sattar Edhi, in an interview to BBC, had told about a conspiracy that he would be murdered and the MQM would be blamed for it.”
The MQM leader claimed that Zahra had been inactive for the past three months as she had developed some differences with the PTI leadership over distribution of party tickets. “Internal disputes must also be considered during the investigation of the case,” he demanded.
He said the MQM was being constantly subjected to terrorism and its workers were dying but the party did not accuse anyone. “We could also have said that extremists were carrying out terrorism at the behest of the PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami.”
Sattar said that the PTI chief had once again said the MQM wanted to control Karachi by terrorism and creating fear.
“The MQM could have replied that Khan and his followers carried out pre-election bomb blasts in Karachi for taking control of Karachi with the help of extremist elements,” he added.
“Relations between Khan and extremists are not hidden from anyone and he happens to be the biggest supporter of the elements who had cut the throats of army personnel,” Sattar claimed.
“It would be wrong to attribute the low voter turnout in NA-250 to the murder of Zahra as people of Karachi and Hyderabad had come out in large numbers despite six bomb blasts and murder of 80 people before the general elections.”
He added that a large number of the people in NA-250 had been deprived of their right to vote by holding re-polling at 43 stations only. “The MQM rejects this farcical exercise and demands re-election in the entire constituency.”
“The low turnout during re-polling has exposed the tall claims of the PTI about massive public support,” said Sattar. “People of Defence and Clifton expressed their confidence in the MQM by staying away from the re-polling process.”
He said the three bomb blasts on May 11 were not condemned and no sympathy was shown to the affected people. “It has become obvious that the mandate of the MQM was stolen and it will not augur well for democracy,” the MQM leader.