Hamid Mir: Do Not Risk Pakistan For Taliban!

It was not unexpected at all that Hamid Mir would express his anti-Altaf Hussain. He has been doing the same through his columns or in his talk shows. His biased remarks in other TV programs are a bonus for MQM. His recent column-cum-allegation pack against Altaf Hussain is the reflection of the same. In his column, Hamid Mir criticized MQM`s chief for his advice to the Pakistan army of takeover (if the politically elected government does not come on the same page to curb Taliban). Everyone knows that despite the continuous terrorist attacks from Taliban, the government has always avoided an action against them. The question is, why?

It is on record that Taliban facilitated PML-N, PTI, JI and JUI-F to easily get elected in the general elections of 2013. TTP not only made just announcement, but it practically targeted MQM, PPP and ANP through its terrorist attacks that, in turn, benefitted the TTP`s favorite parties to come into the position to form federal as well as political governments. In return, all these parties always directly or indirectly defended Taliban and their terrorist attacks. Whether it is the reaction on the death of Hakeem Ulalh Mehsud or the matter of their nomination to represent Taliban in the talks are the best reflection of their relationship with TTP. So, in the prevailing scenario, can it be expected that the Taliban-backed government will take any action against Taliban? When no, what to do then? Should the people let Pakistan go in the hands of Taliban?

On top of it, considering the track record of the military interventions, did Army ever take over a democratically elected government just on the demand of any one or some politicians?? Further, if military establishment had really been in a mood to act on the advice of Altaf Hussain, would it not have intervened to stop the on-going extra-judicial killings of MQM`s workers for which he has been appealing to everyone even on the name of God and His Last Prophet(PBUH)? 

Very surprisingly, Hamid Mir tried to link the negative consequences of the operation in East Pakistan to the imminent operation in North Waziristan. The question is, can the ethnically–motivated operation against Bunaglis in 1971 anyhow be compared with the still under-consideration operation in Waziristan? In the same connection, he also claimed that MQM, by demanding operation against Taliban, was doing the same that Jamat-e-Islami did against Bengalis in 71. The question is, if any military operation is launched against Taliban, will it be similar to the one against Bengalis and that will it result in the same way as the fall of Dhaka?? Does this not indicate that he is actually opposing any operation against Taliban?

Like other traditionally anti-MQM elements, Hamid Mir also referred to only one part of Altaf Hussain`s speech that was delivered in India. He quoted only his facts-based analysis, but not his conclusion. Taking into account the fall of Dhaka as well as the alarming situation of Balochistan, Sindh, Waziristan and the South Punjab, can it be anyhow claimed that the division of India benefitted the Muslims of the sub-continent? Logically speaking, if even the Quaid-e-Azam Muhamamd Ali Jinnah and the Muslims of the undivided India had known about such a future of their dreamt piece of land, would they have gone for it?

In fact, where Altaf Hussain logically analyzed the bitter reality of the pre and post-partition of the undivided India in his speech, at the same time, he also presented his conclusive advice on it. He said that both Pakistan and India, forgetting about the past, would have to realize that neighbors could not be changed. Therefore, they would have to live together peacefully that would eventually benefit the masses in both countries. However, not speaking of trying to get along peacefully with our neighboring countries, the Pakistani powerful forces and the people like Hamdi Mir, have been promoting and defending the extremist groups who are not ready to live peacefully with even their own countrymen within Pakistan. Are all these facts not endorsing Altaf Hussain`s analysis?  

Hamid Mir also claimed that Altaf Hussian, through his advice of takeover, was trying to save himself from the Dr. Imran Farooq murder case. To tell the truth, taking into account the consistent policy of the military establishment against MQM since its inception, it is impossible that Altaf Hussain would anyway expect any favor from any Army General, especially from the present COAS Gen. Raheel Sharif who was appointed by MQM`s political rival Nawaz Sharif by superseding the most seniors generals? About Dr. Imran Farooq`s case, what MQM believes is that sooner or later, the reality would come up and the culprits and the planners would get exposed in the same way when in 1995-96, MQM leadership was charged of having killed and buried Dr. Imran Farooq in the hills of Balochistan. For this purpose, one MQM`s worker had also been arrested and tortured to “own” the murder. In this contest, Hamid Mir`s group of news papers was the loudest drum beater of maligning MQM. But, all the liars had to lick their own spit when Dr. Imran Farooq arrived alive in MQM`s secretariat, London , and I can confidently say that this time too will be no different from the past when allegations will be proved mere allegations.

It was good to see that Hamid Mir recalled the history of the Pakistani politics especially regarding the military generals in his column-cum-charge sheet on MQM`s chief. However, he did not to like to name two Army Generals who also made their contributions to the disaster of Pakistan. The first one was Gen. Zia-ul-Haq who introduced the policy of forming, training and exporting militant (Jihadi) groups which have become monsters now. The second general was Gen. Asif Nawaz who launched ethnically-motivated military operation against MQM in 1992. It was the same operation and the same period during which the “Jinnah Pur Conspiracy” was formulated and leveled on the Urdu speaking community. Gen. Zial and Gen. Asif Nawaz had almost put the last nail in the coffin of remaining Pakistan by creating “Jihadi” groups as well as using state machinery against the Urdu speaking community.

The question is, what was the role played by Hamid Mir and his media group on all those evil acts against the country and its most patriotic community? Did they ever raise their voice on all that? No, of course not! To tell the truth, instead of raising voice or writing any columns against the racist rulers, he and his media group were busy in doing propaganda in order to make the whole nation believe that the military operations were in the right direction with fair intention. Even in response to MQM`s protest in 90`s, they advised MQM leadership to go to the courts to seek justice saying, “The courts are free”. The point to be noticed here is that they were requiring MQM to go to the same courts to about which they themselves accepted in 2007 that the judiciary had been enslaved for last 60 years. What else should it be called if not “a vicious plan to get MQM judicially convicted through the rubber stamp judiciary”? 

The most recent example in this respect is of 12^th October 1999. The military generals took control of the country by force from a democratically elected government on sacking then COAS Pervez Musharf wen he was in the air. The question is, why did he and his group of news paper so easily digest it? Why did he and his media group not raise the voice as they did in November, 2007? It was MQM which boycotted the local bodies elections that were being held under the Army General whose status had to be decided by the Supreme Court. But, all the so-called democracy-loving political parties very actively participated in them.

Similarly, it was not Altaf Hussain, but Hamid Mir`s champion of Constitution Iftekahr Choudhry who unconstitutionally validated the Army take over. Of course, it was not MQM, but Hamid Mir`s media group who availed financial benefits from the same “military dictator” in form of licenses for private TV channels. Geo TV channel is the best example of the same. The last, but not the least, according to Pervez Mushraf, it was not Altaf Hussain, but Hamid Mir who provoked him to launch operation at Red Mosque.

People have not forgotten his exclusive interviews with the heads of extremist groups especially including Osama Bin Laden, Ilyas Kashmiri and Salauddin. He himself has many times claimed to have “reliable resources” in the Taliban groups. The question, is when he has the contacts and knows the whereabouts of extremists, why has he not shared them with the Pakistan army and other agencies so that they can arrest or kill them in order to save the people from further terrorist attacks? Is hiding such vital information about the terrorists from the law-enforcement agencies not an act of high treason from the country and its people? Does a person like Hamid Mir deserve to point a finer towards the leader and his party (MQM) who have been standing on the front to save Pakistan from being high jacked by extremists? Not at all!