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Home TFT E-Paper Archives

Chronicle of an arrest foretold

Najam Sethi by Najam Sethi
June 6, 2014 - Updated on September 21, 2021
in TFT E-Paper Archives, Editorials, Main Slider
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Altaf Husain’s fate was foretold. With his recent arrest in London, the noose has been tightened. This is the beginning of the end for him and for the MQM as structured and led by him for over two and a half decades, mostly from exile in London.

For over two years, British authorities have been investigating three serious charges against him – involvement in the murder of the MQM leader Imran Farooq, money laundering, and hate speech. In each case, there appeared to be sufficient evidence to indict him sooner or later.

Scotland Yard has tracked the two alleged murderers of Imran Farooq — Mohsin Ali Syed and Kashif Kamran — to Pakistan where they are held captive by the ISI. The London Metropolitan Police have raided several MQM properties, including the one in which Altaf Hussain lives, and seized over £400,000 in laundered cash. Investigations have proved that several properties in London were purchased by Altaf Hussain and his front-men from laundered funds. The London police is inundated with citizen complaints protesting a hate speech by Altaf Hussain against supporters of Imran Khan protesting alleged MQM rigging of the elections in Karachi last year. In the last year or so, several senior MQM leaders in London have been questioned “under caution”, a couple were arrested and then released on bail and prohibited from leaving the country. Recently, Altaf Hussain’s bank accounts in the UK were frozen and reports surfaced suggesting that he might have obtained his British passport by invoking dubious claims. This compelled him recently to make a desperate attempt to try and obtain a Pakistani passport and alert his MQM cadres in Karachi to get ready to “face” the developing situation, an implied threat to shut down Karachi that has temporarily materialised. What next?

Altaf Hussain will probably obtain bail in the money laundering case. But the murder of Imran Farooq will hang over his head like the sword of Damocles until the British authorities are able to extradite the two alleged murderers from Pakistan and nail the evidence. Meanwhile, however, Altaf Hussain’s health, which is already sinking, is expected to incapacitate him in custody. Since he will be “watched” and “monitored” carefully, it is likely that he will lose his close and confidential contacts with key party cadres and messengers quickly and his control over party affairs will gradually dissipate. This will hasten the process of fissures and divisions within the MQM that followed the spotlight of the British authorities on Altaf Hussain in the last two years and which led to the ouster or escape of close aides like Advocate Anis and Mustafa Kamal in recent times.

Several overt and covert developments on the MQM front may be expected in London and Karachi. For starters, a degree of tension and nervousness among London-based aides and workers like Nadeem Nusrat and Anwar Bhai will manifest itself in conspiratorial huddles about power and protection which will weaken Altaf Hussain’s iron grip over the UK office. Some MQM people may also be emboldened to secretly seek the protection of the British police in exchange for giving information and evidence regarding the affairs of the MQM in general and Altaf Hussain in particular. Others may opt to quietly flee the UK for safer shores instead of risk being tainted, challenged or chained in the aftermath of the crisis. A couple of senior aides who are “under caution” already may be hauled up by the police again.

We should also expect feverish activity within the rank and file of the MQM in Karachi to cope with the crisis or take advantage of it. The man to watch is Governor Ishratul Abad. He is the face of the MQM that is acceptable to the military establishment, PPP and PMLN. He has managed to survive the vicissitudes of fortune spanning three regimes in Islamabad, and the unending idiosyncrasies, moods and tempers of Altaf Hussain for nearly fourteen years. Factions of the MQM led by Afaq, Aamir and Farooq Sattar, who are also all survivors, will vie with him for power.

The military establishment, rather than the PPP or PMLN leadership, will play a critical role in events. The corps commander Karachi has already warned the MQM not to try and forcibly shut down the street in Karachi. The ISI is already negotiating with the British authorities regarding the extradition of Mohsin and Kashif in exchange for a couple of Baloch separatists. The Rangers are expected to take full advantage of the confusion and uncertainty in the MQM to strike deeper and more effectively in Operation Clean-Up.

It is the PTI, however, that is poised to extract a longer-term benefit from the slow but inevitable dissolution of the MQM that is on the cards. That is why Imran Khan has swiftly offered an olive branch to the rank and file of the MQM that may be geared up to break free of the fearful shackles of Altaf Hussain.

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Najam Sethi

Najam Sethi

Najam Aziz Sethi is a Pakistani journalist, businessman who is also the founder of The Friday Times and Vanguard Books. Previously, as an administrator, he served as Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, caretaker Federal Minister of Pakistan and Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan.

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Comments 19

  1. wg cdr (r) ramayabalachandran says:
    8 years ago

    There is a saying in Tamil That King will act immediately , but God will act in delayed manner . But sure God will. That is what has happened TO MQM . It is a god given relief to pakistan. when you visit Uk , you will notice that many low level srilankans, indians, and pakistani’s have been given permit to flood UK with nuisance. where as it is difficult for a qualified doctor or engineer to get permit. strange laws and systems.

    How we indians wish that this happens to dawood ibrahim, Hfeed saeed and other hundreds of them . But Pak is not like UK . PMs may come and Go. But men like dawood and Hafeed sayeeds cannot be touched by arms of law. strange laws and systems. Bin laden and likes can hide under the nose of ARMY and ISI

    we failed to learn Governance from the British.
    wish they occupy us again to teach

    • Reza says:
      8 years ago

      Don’t we follow the British in selective justice? Didn’t they look the other way while this guy terrorized Karachi from their land for decades?

    • Sandip says:
      8 years ago

      If you are so fond of british rule Sir, pray go and join them. Our forefathers fought for the freedom of my India and we cherish that freedom dearly. Never again shall there be another day when India will be colonized by any other country, howsoever imperfect we may be.
      If that rank that you put before your name is indeed true, then we are ashamed that you served in the Indian Air Force.

    • Singh says:
      8 years ago

      Did you forget your pills?
      How many Bhagat Singh it take to wake up people like you.
      Isn’t 1000 yr. slavery is not good enough for you?
      Did you show this mentality when you was wg cdr?
      It is big shame that you was part of Indian forces.

  2. Reza says:
    8 years ago

    I remember the Karachi of 1970. It was a liberal city of lights. International airlines used it as a stopover on route to East. They had permanent offices here. Their crews were regular guests at city hotels and night spots. Dubai was no where on the scene. Then civil war broke out in Beirut in 1976. Business fled to Dubai. Over here Altaf Hussain was launched followed by jihadi madrassas. Karachi’s fate was sealed. Dubai replaced Karachi as the regional stopover for international airlines. Thus decline of a city was concluded with the rise of another.

    History will unmask the real script writers one day, but there is a reminder for players. Once the script is changed, they are replaced with others.

  3. Sharif Lone says:
    8 years ago

    If Scotland yard has arrested Altaf bhei, I am sure it was not based on any political motive, which is the case in Pakistan. So demonstrating against such decisions is uncalled for. I do not think that Altaf Hussein’s departure will break up MQM. I know many so called ‘mohajirs’ and they feel that others do not accept them as equal citizens and need the party to safeguard their interests. That is a shame. I hope they start to integrate and are accepted as equal partners. WE can only hope that the new leadership is more pragmatic.
    I meet all types of people and it appears we have reached a stage where every event is analyzed by Mohajirs, Ahmadis and others which show ‘their’ side’s viewpoint. It will help if we break our small cells and start thinking like Pakistanis only.

    • Reza says:
      8 years ago

      Only a clean and impartial leadership will unite this scattered herd of a nation. Only two persons seem to fit the bill: Dr Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan. Vested interest love to ridicule them both. But time will tell who was right and who was wrong.

    • Hisham says:
      8 years ago

      ‘So Called Mohajirs’ ? what else are we supposed to call ourselves when everyone in pakistan is either a punjabi, sindhi, pathan or balochi and you are constantly asked which race you belong to?I have been living in the uk since a while and have been asked this question on countless occasions now?The current govt needsto respect the fact that a certain part of the Urdu speaking/Mohajir community very strongly feels that they are being treated as second class citizens (to this day and age) & should work to alleviate these grievances.
      Also there were a lot of probably’s in the article, no one knows if Altaf Hussain was actually involved in the Imran Farooq murder case and as it stands its pretty much all wild speculation.

      • Singh says:
        8 years ago

        So Mohajir still stuck in 1947, where as In India No Sikh or Hindu family which migrated from Pakistan at that time call them self as refugee at present time. People in India move on long time back.
        You guys are paying for Jinnah folly till today. You guys trusted him, rose on “Direct action Day” and still fighting for that dreamland of pure.

  4. amin says:
    8 years ago

    Why did people flock to the MQM in droves? It was because the PPP in Sindh
    had let them down so badly. In the 1970 elections, urban Karachi -ites voted for
    the PPP aamdoning their traditional support for the Jamaat e Islami or the Council Muslim Leafue. Once in power the PPP in Sindh pandered to Sindhi Natiomalist elements completely alienating the people of Karachi. It was in this scenario that MQM was born. Should the MQM wane, those who wish to step in its shoes should be mindful of this fact.

  5. Usman Khan says:
    8 years ago

    Wait. what olive branch has Imran offered? As far as I can see, his own party rank and file will not accept MQM guys among them after all the stuff they have had to endure for years at the hands of MQM.

  6. Ben says:
    8 years ago

    I hope this development finally ends Altaf’s terror network in Karachi and urban Sindh. Under his complete authority, his followers commited high number of murders, robberies, and other street crimes. A terrorist organization like MQM has no place in politics and as a leader he should go to jail for the remainder of his days to pay for crimes committed against pakistani people.

  7. Dr.Salim Haidrani says:
    8 years ago

    MQM has been an ethnic political party since last 20 strong years in Karachi and continued to survive with the support of Central governments and the power brokers like the ICI and the other powerful groups in Pakistan.

    In the West so many studies and books have been written about the role of MQM but very few researchers had access to the top man – Altaf Hussain because he always hesitated to answer the hard questions about his dark rule during the days of Zia to Zardari Sahib.

    Altaf Hussain has been living in London since so many years as a British citizen but why now the British establishment shows its hard hands of the law on him. This is not a mystery but there is a deeper something which has bothered the British establishment to move to his house and arrest him on the charges which Mr Sethi genuinely explained in this brief article. I do not believe in any conspicy theory but during the General Musharraf era, Altaf was untouchable in London when several lawyers were killed on the streets of Karachi. A large number of people and so many influential Human Rights organisations then asked the London law agencies to register a case against Altaf Hussain but nothing was done.

    Today Altaf Hussain is in the custody of London Police and the British law will deal with the cases in which he has been arrested.

    This is end of the Altaf Hussain at the moment but the MQM will be again play a very different political game in Karachi to be with the dark forces of establishment against the genuine growth of democracy in Pakistan. We all know ethnicity and nationalism sometime bring heroes to harm their nations and people and Altaf Hussain is one of those heroes who had destroyed Karachi through violence but the power of ethnic voters will remain a threat unless Karachi recovers from organised political crimes and social fascism.

  8. sadiq khoja says:
    8 years ago

    can’t make sense of the cartoon and its caption “honour killings”

  9. Dan says:
    8 years ago

    Cant we move forward from this Mohajir,Punjabi,Sindhi,Baluch,Pathan thinking.
    For God’s sake 67 yrs have passed. We have to overcome this approach if we plan to move forward. Why does no one in Punjab thinks like this where everyone is equal.The Urdu Speaking community in 1947, 55% moved to Karachi, and 40% moved to Lahore. Both Punjabis and Sindhi accepted them with a open heart.
    Major part of asset and business of Pakistan are based in Karachi which are owned and held by Urdu Speaking community, they are more educated then rest of the Pakistani population, more industrious and more rich then average Pakistanis,
    SO HOW ARE THEY DEPRIVED.
    Its the quota system that they are against, especially in Sind. But ask the youth of today, hardly any urbanite youth will like to do a government service in view of low pay and corruption. The new generation prefers the private sector which provides them a opportunity to grow and prosperous .
    So I think this is all a political tool of Black Mailing using ethnicity as a an instrument.LOOK AT INDIA HOW FAST THEY ARE PROGRESSING WITH A HUGE EDUCATED EMERGING MIDDLE CLASS.
    We should be sensible now
    Dan

  10. Aysha M says:
    8 years ago

    Highly speculative! Both distasteful and poor form of analysis

  11. Abdulaziz says:
    8 years ago

    Can’t make sense of this mohajir muslim, Punjabi muslim, Sindhi, Pashtun, Pathan, Barelvi, Al Qaeda, good taliban, bad taliban, mujahideen, Deobandi, Sufi, Shiite, Sunni, Ahmadi, etc. Ummah is all a myth…..there never was one and there never will be one. Pakistanis have destroyed their religion and their country over a peice of land called Kashmir.

  12. Aphtab says:
    8 years ago

    This is wishful thinking. Not likely to happen any time soon. The downside of what is being predicted is the end of secular resistance to the rising tide of extremists in Karachi.

  13. zareef says:
    8 years ago

    how many faces do you have Mr. Sethi; editor of a respectable journal, TV talk show host, PCB chairman, and now a prophet. Meanwhile, before the “ink” on your prophesy had dried up, news has come that the Scotland Yard has dropped charges of hate speech. Altaf is addressing his party men as before and there are no fissures as you predicted.
    Perhaps you should focus on cricket. That is a very rewarding engagement.

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