Two more MQM leaders join the Kamal bandwagon

KARACHI: Two more members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement denounced their membership and joined Mustafa Kamal during a press conference held at his DHA residence on Thursday.

Waseem Aftab, member of the Rabita Committee and Iftikhar Alam, member of the Sindh Assembly denounced their affilation to the party which they called was “using them”.

Speaking to the media Aftab said that the MQM had converted the “Urdu-speaking people” into terrorists. “Mothers have lost sons, daughter have lost fathers.”

He said that when they belonged to the lower-tiers of the party set-up they always thought they would serve the people. “But when we made it to the Rabita Committee, lots of secrets were revealed to us.”

He said that when the party was in the government all it did was move in and out of the coalition.

In the last few years he said he managed to read and understand the Holy Quran. “I realized that Allah always tries his men. It is not easy to look straight into ‘Yazid’s’ eye and tell him he is a tyrant,” he said in an obvious reference to Altaf Hussain.

He said that Pakistan had a talented youth which could excel in education and innovation if they were provided the right guidance. “We have lots of Dr Abdul Qadeer Khans among us, who are talented and ready to sacrifice their lives for the country.”

He said that in the last few years Pakistan had been divided along sectarian and religious lines. “Allow us to respect the Pakistan flag, and become one nation.”

He said that when workers were not being allowed to collect hides this Eid-ul-Azha, the MQM chief forced them to do so. “A good leader would have cared for his workers and told them not to collect hides and Fitra, but the billions of rupees collected were more precious than their lives.”

He said that party workers were being used like toilet paper— and then discarded.

Talking about quotas in education institutions he said that no one will give Urdu-speaking space till they prove they were not “RAW agents”.

Appealing to the security faces he said that the workers who were involved in crime were innocent. “They do not what is right for them, but have been lead wrong by their leader.”

He said that he had just found out the truth in the last few years. “Many other MQM leaders talk against the policies of their leader in private, but they are scared of losing their ranks, wealth and life.”

In a message to MQM workers he said, “Please join the group which is serving the country, and not the group which is bent on destroying Pakistan.”

In an emotional speech, Iftikhar Alam said, that Altaf Hussain was a “selfish leader”.

“Everything that Anees Bhai and Sagheer Bhai said had been circulating in our minds for a while, but we were to scared to speak up. Coming here was tough decision,” he said.

He appealed to the MQM to stop shedding more blood in the city.

He said that when he went to Liaquatabad during the elections, it was difficult for him to make-up stories about the MQM chief. “In reality Altaf Hussain had none of the qualities I was telling the workers.”

“It has been 28 years since we served the party. How much more do we have to prove ourselves?” he said, adding that the MQM chief did not trust his workers.

He said, “I am sure Altaf Hussain does not even know my name. But I suffered from him. Picking up bodies of your loved ones is not easy. But Altaf wants more and more bodies.”

There are families of supporters of MQM in Liaquatabad, who have lost their sole earning members and they have nothing to eat.

“No one cares for them. Party leaders just go to their houses once a year on ‘martyr’s day’, but it does not help these families.”

Talking about Altaf Hussain’s speeches he said that party leaders are scared every time he makes a telephonic address. “He speaks nonsense and later on the leadership has to take care of the mess.”

Referring to a recent address he made to the workers he said, “Altaf Hussain told his workers that he was the only authority on religion.”

In a reference to how MQM leaders would call the Sindh Governor to release prisoner in jails, he said, “I was asked to release workers who were languishing in jails. I would call the Governor and he would shun me. Their families still await justice.”

“I bid farewell to MQM, it is a difficult decision for me,” he said.