Kamal blames PTI, PPP and MQM-P for Altaf Hussain's 'revival' in Pakistani politics

KARACHI: Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Mustafa Kamal blamed the PPP for its "ethnically biased policies", the PTI for its 'incompetence' in Karachi and the MQM-P for the 'revival' of Altaf Hussain's politics in Pakistan. 

Kamal was addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club. PSP President Anis Kaimkhani and other leaders of the party accompanied him. The PSP chairman said the MQM founder was trying to remain relevant in the socio-political discourse of the country through his most favourite game — terrorism.

He was of the view that three basic factors were primarily keeping alive Altaf's evil politics. “First thing is that some people without conscience made MQM-Pakistan which is carrying Altaf Hussain's party symbol and flag. All these elements are actually trying to become heroes in front of Altaf Hussain, giving him a false impression that they have protected the party from a total collapse,” Kamal alleged.

He added that the second important factor which was keeping Altaf’s legacy alive was that Karachi had been given to the PTI. “We were winning on the day of the 2018 general election, however, the results disappeared from the television screen, and later the PTI won. Dramatically, the winners remained asleep in their homes and the path of real public representatives was blocked.”

According to the PSP chief, the third factor that was helping resuscitate Altaf’s influence was the biased government of the PPP that was not even giving Sindh's urban areas their legitimate constitutional rights.

He opined that the MQM founder was benefiting from the PPP's biased attitude towards urban Sindh. “There is no water and electricity in Karachi and garbage is littered across the city. The Karachiites are deprived of government jobs. We never accepted the election results but still remained silent in the best interest of the country”.

“Our silence, the PTI's incompetence, and PPP's bias provided a lifeline to Hussain,” he said. “Despite all these grim circumstances, I would like to say that as long as the PSP is there, it shall not allow Altaf Hussain's terrorism to succeed at any cost.”

PSP had a clear stance about Dr Imran Farooq's murder since day one: Kamal

Commenting on the verdict in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case, Kamal said he had been silent since the verdict came because he wanted to see if the representatives of the so-called Muhajir community would admit their wrongdoings. He added that his silence was of no avail.

“Ten years after the incident and considering all the evidence, according to the verdict of the court, Hussain ordered the assassination of MQM convener Imran Farooq," the PSP chairman said.

Read more: Muhammad Anwar says MQM received funding from India

He remarked that for the past four years, his party always had a clear stance regarding Dr Imran Farooq’s murder. "We had been saying for the last four years exactly the same thing which has now been proven by the judiciary," he stated. 

He said that the Dr Imran Farooq murder case was not investigated by Pakistani intelligence agencies but by British agency Scotland Yard, after which no one could allege that the decision was made on the basis of any prejudice.

Kamal asked the Muhajir community if he had not told them that Altaf and the MQM had mortgaged their children. “No individual in the MQM can become a stalwart as Farooq. If Altaf can give orders to murder a great leader like Farooq, then to Altaf no life of any worker matters,” he said.

“Think about those mothers and sisters when pictures of their sons and brothers circulate in the media as barbaric murderers. Will Altaf adopt the children of these killers? Altaf Hussain has destroyed generations after generations,” he said. "We rebelled against Altaf Hussain because we came to realise these facts.”

The PSP chairman claimed that Dr Imran Farooq's murder case would prove to be the last nail in the coffin of a handful of people who were still misleading the nation. “Now the father of the Muhajir community has become the architect of Sindhu Desh,” he remarked.

He went on to say that the MQM founder only needed bloodshed because RAW provided him money only to spill it. To assert his point, the PSP chief said when the MQM was at its prime, around 22 party workers used to get killed every day.

“I curse those who call the murderer of Muhajir youth as the father of the Muhajirs. Now, Hussain and Sindh separatist Shafi Burfat group are carrying out terrorist attacks in Sindh again,” he said.

He also responded to his critics who held the opinion that there was no difference between the PSP and the MQM. “Let me tell you the difference between us and MQM. It is the same as between believers and hypocrites," he said. 

"We called Altaf a terrorist, a murderer when no one dared speak against him while the MQM-Pakistan disassociated itself from Altaf on the night of August 22 after he chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and they were sure that the Article 6 proceedings shall start against them if they did not dissociate themselves from him”.

Kamal lashes out at PM Imran, says his actions and words contradict each other

After the 18th amendment, all the resources are with the provinces, Kamal said. “If you want to get freedom from someone, take it from the corrupt rulers and not from the state.”

He said the Provincial Financial Commission award was not being announced after the National Financial Commission award. Until the powers are devolved to the lowest level, the provinces will not be independent, he remarked.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan says the solution to Karachi's problems is an empowered mayor who is directly elected. Has he brought such a system where there are PTI’s provincial governments? Have the mayors of Lahore and Peshawar been directly elected?” he asked.

Kamal said there are contradictions in the words and actions of the prime minister. “The federal and provincial governments have not come up with a single new project for Karachi,” he added.

Karachi pays 70% of its revenue to the federation and 90% to Sindh, he said, adding that people like Altaf and Burfat were benefiting from the PPP's bias and PTI's incompetence.

He said the federal and provincial governments were turning people into terrorists with wrong decisions. He was of the view that the situation in different districts of Sindh was also bad. Kids were dying due to dog bites in Larkana and due to hunger in Thar, he remarked.

He said the subsidy given to K-Electric had been halved, which meant that the electricity bills would rise by 20% more from next month. "The coronavirus is spreading fast. We may have to set up quarantine centres in every UC. The rulers will not do anything because they are not yet able to tell whether the lockdown is smart or ugly, and the difference between curfew and lockdown.”

Originally published in The News