Nadeem Nusrat says 'shifted to secure location' after shooting attack in Houston

LONDON: The Voice of Karachi (VOK) Chairperson and former MQM leader Nadeem Nusrat said Monday police had shifted him to a secure location after he had earlier survived a shooting attack on his car in Houston.

"A murder attempt was made on me," Nusrat said while speaking to Geo News, adding: "A person has already been punished for attacking me in America."

In an interview with Geo.tv, Nusrat said he was "lucky" to have survived the assassination attempt on his life but he refused to name or blame anyone.

However, he said that "an environment of hate has been created through YouTube videos against me and there have been calls of violent actions against me over the last three years."

Nusrat said two years ago, a local man was prosecuted and jailed for planning to kill him, his wife, and Wasay Jalil; and now, he has been attacked on the road in broad daylight.

What had happened?

The former MQM leader said he was travelling with VOK Spokesman Shahid Farhad on Sunday on Highway 59 South when the latter spotted a black SUV trying to get closer to the vehicle.

The vehicle then became too close to the car, he said.

Nusrat said he was on the phone looking up a website when the attack took place.

"Shahid Farhad noticed a hand coming out the backseat window of the suspicious vehicle with a handgun. He applied the brakes, which led the other car to pull a few feet ahead, resulting in a misfire from the assailants. Multiple shots were fired. I witnessed empty bullet shells flying in the air and hitting the front grill of his vehicle," he said.

"Farhad slowed down his car to let the other vehicle get as far away as possible. The attackers then sped away on the highway."

When asked who may have carried out the attack, Nusrat said that threats to his life increased after he spoke against the "Sindhu Desh" — the separation slogan now supported by Altaf Hussain’s faction of the MQM.

Nusrat said several Congressmen had gotten involved and the police was investigating the attack.

"I am not blaming anyone. Let the police find out who was behind the attack. However, I have handed over several YouTube and Facebook videos to the police in which violence was incited against me, including one by a local US Urdu paper."

Farhad said he has also lodged the official report at the local police station and informed the relevant authorities. "The authorities have started an investigation."

VOK Central Committee condemns attack

VOK Central Committee in Washington, in a statement, condemned the attack on Nusrat and explained that he was in Houston for an organisation-related visit.

"The car was attacked when Nadeem Nusrat was headed back after the event had ended," the central committee said, as the investigations into the matter have begun following the filing of an official complaint.

"The attackers cannot stay away from the law for too long, hopefully," it added.

Following the attack, the general secretary of VOK, Imran Hussain, had said on Twitter: “I can confirm that multiple shots were fired at Voice of Karachi and SAMAF chairman Nadeem Nusrat’s vehicle this afternoon in Houston, Texas."

Former MQM senior leader Wasay Jalil had also confirmed that Nusrat had come under attack. He said that an attempt was made to assassinate Nadeen Nusrat and a police complaint has been registered.

A VOK spokesman said that Nusrat was going home along with Central Information Secretary Shahid Farhad after speaking at an event when shots were fired at his car.

Wasay Jail had tweeted: “May Allah bless Nadeem Nusrat bhai and keep him safe always. Ameen Summa Ameen.”

Nusrat was once a hardcore supporter of Altaf Hussain and remained loyal to him for over two decades. He was sacked from the party position several times and remained inactive for years.

He was activated again by the MQM leader and called over to London a few years ago where remained in charge of the party and ran affairs of Karachi from London, supporting Altaf Hussain.

Read more: Muhammad Anwar says MQM received funding from India

Nadeem Nusrat was once a hardcore supporter of Altaf Hussain and remained loyal to him for over two decades. He was sacked from the party position several times and remained inactive for years.

He was activated again by the MQM leader and called over to London a few years ago where remained in charge of the party and ran affairs of Karachi from London, supporting Altaf Hussain.

Around three years ago, he parted ways with the MQM leader and left for Houston with Wasay Jalil where he set up his own group.

In the middle of 2019, the head of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Maryland chapter Qaiser Ali was imprisoned for one year with one month of prison and eleven months of a suspended sentence for threatening to kill Nadeem Nusrat, his wife, and Wasay Jalil.

Qaisar Ali pleaded guilty before Virginia’s Fairfax County Court into the charge of threatening to slaughter Nadeem Nusrat, his wife, and MQM’s former central coordination committee member Wasay Jalil in a threatening tweet.

Nadeem Nusrat and Wasay Jalil parted ways with the MQM-London almost a year ago and Nusrat has been running the Voice of Karachi and South Asia Minorities Alliance Foundation from his base in Washington DC.