Mystery Behind The Murder Of Azeem Ahmed Tariq

After so long, the assassination of MQM`s founding member its first and also the last chairman Azeem Ahmed Tariq is being discussed again. Of course not to bring the real culprits to once again target MQM.

Before taking into account the relevant facts, it needs to be corrected that Azeem Ahmed Tariq never contested election, like his leader Altaf Hussain. So, he was not an elected member of the national assembly (MNA) as propagated by ARY anchorperson Mubashir Lucman. Similarly, this claim was also wrong that he was killed near his car. In fact, he was killed inside his house.

Before we try to find out the people involved in the murder, we need to recall then prevailing environment that played very crucial role in his assassination

It is on record that 1992`s army operation was over night, like today, diverted to MQM from its main objective of targeting 72 big fish whose list was presented in the Parliament. On 19 June, 92, all those people who had been expelled from MQM due to the violation of party`s discipline, were brought in the city by military trucks to replace MQM. Hundreds of MQM workers and office bearers were kidnapped and either forced to part their ways with Altaf Hussain or consequently, killed. Seize and search operations and the resulted arrests by the Army personnel were in addition to them.

Considering the militarily enforced environment in Karachi, MQM leadership directed all its party workers to go under-ground so that not only they could save themselves from being victimized, but also to avoid the maliciously planned clashes either with the army or its test tube Haqiqi group. As a result, from top to bottom, i.e., from Azeem Ahmed Tariq and Dr. Imran Farooq to the general workers, all MQMers followed the party policy. That was no doubt the one of best decisions of MQM leadership by which it not only saved its strength, but also politically defeated its armed rivals by successfully avoiding the planned bloodshed.

During the military operation, countless allegations were put on MQM and, consequently, thousands of cases were registered against its members including from Altaf Hussain to common workers. Just like today, all of them were portrayed as terrorists. Not only this, even head money was announced for different prominent leaders and workers for bringing them dead or alive.  

In contrast to these, no allegation or FIR was put on Azeem Ahmed Tariq. From the begging, he was presented as the only “non-violent” person in MQM. On one hand, all its rivals were maligning the entire MQM, but, on the other hand, they were asking Azeem Ahmed Tariq to come out and lead the other Muhajir groups especially Haqiqi. However, Azeem Tariq did not respond positively.

When this propaganda did not work and Azeem Ahmed Tariq kept on hiding as per the party policy, one new tactic was applied and a “Muhajir Action Committee” (comprised of some “respectable” citizens headed by Moulana Ahteram-ul-Haq Thanvi) was formed and put in field. The Action Committee, just like Haqiqi group, also kept on urging Azeem Ahmed to come out and play his “role” in restoring peace in the city. But, he rejected such a proposal too. The Action Committee put more pressure on him in for this purpose claiming that they had sought guarantee of security from the administration. “If security can be guaranteed for me, why not for every MQM worker and voters so that they too can freely move in the city”, was the prompt response of Azeem Tariq. However, suddenly, the news came up that Azeem Ahmed Tariq had come out ending his hiding. According to a report published in a magazine “PakAsia”, MQM`s chairman was trapped by the agencies in the name of having a meeting with army officials so as to ease the tension between Army and MQM. That was the ploy by which his location was traced. And, possibly, in order to avoid being taken to somewhere else, he had decided to come out.

It should be kept in mind that there was much propaganda that he had serious conflicts with Altaf Hussain and that he had been kept under forcible captivity. However after coming out, Azeem Tariq neither joined Haqiqi group nor did he part his ways with Altaf Hussain. Rather, as soon as he ended his hiding, he had a detailed conversation with his Quaid on the phone. Perhaps, it was the same conversation during which Azeem Ahmed Tariq conveyed Army`s message to his Quaid that it would not let MQM work freely unless Altaf Hussain separated himself from the party. That was the reason why Altaf Hussain announced to quit the leadership and handed over the party affairs to the chairman. He also appealed all party workers to strictly follow Azeem Ahmed Tariq like in the past.

Altaf Hussain`s separation from the party leadership and directing his loved ones to Azeem Tariq highlighted two important things:

1-Altaf Hussain, for the sake of security of his followers, could sacrifice even to the extent of leaving his party that he himself founded and made a one of the largest of the country;

2-During 90`s too, Pakistani military establishment was working on minus-Altaf Hussain formula.

However, abductions and killings of MQM workers by the patronized Haqiqi group as well as seize and search operations from the paramilitary forces did not stop at all. Therefore, Altaf Hussain, on the pressure of its workers and also allegedly on a message from AZ, announced to lead the party once again. Then, on May 1, 1993, the tragic news of Azeem Ahmed Tariq`s assassination came up.

There were some important facts that emerged after his suspicious assassination. For example:

1-When Azeem Ahmed Tariq was shot dead, it was early in the morning. Strangely, immediately after his assassination, “Azeem Ahmed Tariq`s murderer is Altaf Hussain” slogan was written on walls of the city. Many people, while going to the mosque for offering Fajr (morning) prayer, came to know about this bad news by reading this on wall. To see these words, their first reaction was, “Has Azeem Ahmed Tariq really been killed??” Question is who wrote that slogan on the walls immediately after the murder? How did these people arrive at the conclusion that Altaf Hussain killed Azeem Tariq? Logically, only the people who were involved that assassination could do so early. And of course, a killer will never disclose his own name by writing on walls.

2-Who dared to kill him at his house and fled away without being caught so easily when he was in the protection of army? This question carries more weight in the light of a magazine report which claimed that the killers of AZ (Azeem Tariq) escaped in the vehicle that no one could dare to stop.

3-As sated earlier, Muhajir Action Committee did claim to have sought guarantee of security for Azeem Tariq from the administration. Question is who were those Army officials who had assured of protecting MQM`s chairman, but didn’t fulfill their commitment? Importantly, why did the members of that action committee not disclose those army men and protest over causing a great loss to MQM and Muhajir community? Should this not be neutrally investigated who formed and brought in that so-called committee?       

4-It is also said that Azeem Amed Tariq did not want to come out against the party`s policy, but he was trapped through a meeting with army officials so as to ease the tension between army and MQM. Perhaps, that was the meeting by which he was traced. And Azeem Ahmed Tariq too, by sensing the imminent threat, decided to end his hiding in order to avoid being taken to Haqiqi`s Afaq Ahmed.

5-It is on record that soon after 19 June 1992, it was, like Colonel Tahir in 2015 at 90, Brigadier Asif Haroon who held a press conference at Liaquatabad Chowk and claimed that Army had fully taken over Karachi and removed all the barriers to open it. Considering this, does this responsibility not lie on the shoulders of the Army which was exercising absolute control over the city?     

On top of all, it was Haseem Ahmed, the father of Azeem Ahmed Tariq, who, while answering a question over accusing Altaf Hussain in his son`s murder, said, “Altaf Hussain is my son like Azeem. Whoever is putting such charge, should also prove their words” In addition, PTI`s chairman Imran Khan`s words that he used to blame MQM automatically went into its favor when he said, “Azeem Ahmed Tariq`s sons in America told me that the people who killed our father, offered his funeral.”. And the records reveal that after Azeem Tariq`s killing, establishment`s test tube militant (Haqiq) group forcibly took over his house and sent back all MQM workers and supporters who went there to attend the funeral.

Taking into account all these facts, who should be considered the real killer of MQM`s then Chairman? Will it be wrong to hold the military establishment liable of causing an irreversible loss to Altaf Hussain and Muhajir community? In fact, through that murder, two birds were killed by one stone. Firstly, MQM lost one its best leaders, and secondly, that murder was used to target its Quaid Altaf Hussain. Later on, one more big loss was caused to them with the assassination of Dr. Imran Farooq. The spread story behind his murder and the consequent blame emerged in the same way like in AZ`s case. Here too, the victims were MQM and its founder.

Unfortunately, the way propaganda is being deliberately spread about some other MQM leaders like Aamir Khan, Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ibad, Anis Qaim Khani and Mustafa Kamal proves that the establishment is still busy in its same old and vicious game to target MQM and its Quaid. Military establishment needs to keep this in its mind that whatever it has done in the past and is still doing against MQM and Urdu speaking (Muhajir) community in Karachi, can turn the table anytime. The day is about to come soon when all the evil minded people involved in the politically and ethnically motivated victimization, rather genocide of smaller communities will have to answer to their war crimes….Insha Allah!