The Founder and leader of MQM Mr. Altaf Hussain has said we can differ with Dr. Tahirul Qadri on his ideology, but he is a head of a political party and has a huge following comprising young men, students, women and elders. He added that we should respect his public support and avoid using state machinery against his party.
Mr. Hussain expressed these views in an interview.
He also condemned the police action of June 17 in Lahore. Police raided at Minhajul Quran’s Secretariat to remove barriers and Dr. Qadri’s house and fired indiscriminately at young men, elders and women and brutally tortured them too.
He also condemned the events which occurred on the arrival of Dr. Tahirul Qadri. He added that he had announced his schedule in advance but the way the government handled the situation was highly condemnable.
In response to a question regarding his efforts for the resolution of crisis Mr. Hussain said, “ Like every Pakistan I was also worried too. I asked Governor Sindh to play his role in the resolution of the crisis peacefully. When the Plane was diverted from Islamabad to Lahore, I sensed the matter has become serious. I called the governor again and requested him to play his role as Governor of Sindh. He talked to Prime Minister and other people in the federal government, Governor Punjab and Chief Minister of Punjab. MQM’s Deputy Convener Dr. Khalid Maqbool also talked to Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar. I talked to Dr. Qadri too. He presented his demand to me. I told him that I can take his demands to the government as a political worker. I conveyed his demand through TV. After this the Governor Punjab met with Dr. Tahir-ul Qadri and the crisis was resolved this way, “ Mr. Hussain said.
In response to a question regarding the prevailing situation in the country Mr. Hussain said, “ The situation of the country is not good. It is disturbing. There is darkness everywhere and we are looking for light. I see hope. Our armed forces are at the border. They need reinforcement. The armed forces of Pakistan has decided to take tough action against the terrorists in order to secure the defence and civilian installations. Terrorists blow up our defence installations. The tragic incident of Karachi Airport is before us. Scores of innocent people died in the incident. It badly hurt our image. The growing menace of terrorism has affected every department of the country. Sri Lankan team is not willing to come because of the terrorist attack. In the coming days cricket and hockey teams will refuse to come here. Now they are kidnapping foreigners for ransom. Travelers are not safe in Pakistan. Minorities are not safe. Terrorism has badly affected our economy. Investors have started taking their money out of the country. How can we export without factories? We can make our economy better if we manage to control terrorism inside our country