Altaf Hussain terms 'trusters' of Taliban as 'traitors' to Pakistan

KARACHI: Committing all-out support for the armed forces of Pakistan in the war on extremist terrorism, Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) London-based leader, Altaf Hussain Sunday said that Taliban’s friends were Pakistan’s foes, Geo News reported.

“Trusters of Taliban are traitors to Pakistan. There are no two ways about it. And it should not be forgotten that it were not Taliban who brought Islam to us”, said the firebrand MQM supremo.

He was tele-addressing a rally staged by the MQM to express solidarity with the security forces of Pakistan.

He said that no one believed him when he blew the whistle for the first time several years ago.

"I was not only laughed at for ringing alarms bells about this 'clear & present danger' but was also accused of mongering fear for reasons known better to my critics", said.

He said it wasn't a tempest in a teacup, MQM had foreseen the menace of extremist militancy infiltrating the country long before anyone else did.

"Those who brushed my warnings aside dubbing them as extraneous propaganda didn’t realize what was going on until the extremists came knocking on their doors threatening them to embrace their gunpoint Shariah or die."

Without mincing words, MQM leader said he was not born to lie.

"All of my premonitions have come true. Need I say more", Hussain said.

He warned the government of serious consequences of not taking a tough decision in time.

"I appeal to the government to waste no more time sitting on the fence. It is now or never."

Altaf said that if the whole nation converged on this one point that 'the friend of Taliban was a foe of Pakistan' then no one would ever be able to defeat us.

He also took a jibe at Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) leader, Munawar Hassan,for his statement regarding Yazid, the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, upon whose orders his thousands-strong army martyred Imam Hussain (RA) and his handful followers in the battlefield of Karbala.

"The learned JI leader equated the tyrant Yazid with Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH)grandson, Iman Hussain (RA). Doesn't he know the difference?,", said he.

Going forward, Hussain paid cordial homage to the martyred sentinels of Pakistan who laid their lives in the war on Talibani terror.

He vehemently rejected the option of dialogue with Taliban.

"Those who are responsible for endangering the territorial integrity of Pakistan can never be trusted. The people of Pakistan are standing by their armed forces in the struggle against terrorists" he said.

He said Taliban's unyielding as well as rigid attitude during the government attempts to ensure peace through talk had betrayed their insincerity.

"Taliban are hostile towards the country and will not go along with those who respected its integrity", he added.

Appreciating public participation in the rally the MQM chief said it was a referendum against the Taliban.

"The people by their participation have expressed their sentiments over the loss of thousands of compatriots and around 5,000 soldiers in the fight against terrorists", he added.