BBC Documentary__Another Fixed Match Against MQM?

“MQM should clarify its position regarding the Indian funding”, “If MQM thinks the charges are baseless, it should sue BBC then” have been the common demands from the Pakistani media as well as the politicians. No doubt, the Owen Bennett Jones`s documentary has provided a new stuff to the MQM`s rivals in Pakistan which they are cashing it on very efficiently.

Even the Pakistani Defense Minister Kh. Asif asked MQM to approach the court in order to prove its innocence, otherwise, according to him, they (MQM and its followers) would not be considered as non-Pakistanis. However, he did not give similar advice to the DG ISI General Rizwan Akhter after the international media, with the reference to the Afghan authorities, had accused ISI officials to be involved in the Kabul attack.( http://www.dawn.com/news/1190180)

According to the BBC report, India funds MQM; it has trained MQM workers, and a list of explosives was recovered from an MQM property.

Logically, if India really funds MQM, then of course, it would not be through legal channels at all. Then question is, did the Scot Land Yard or London police approach the India authorities or Indian High Commission in London to probe the matter  just like it did MQM`s secretariat to investigate the money laundering suspicion? Or its “findings” are based only on the “formal interviews of senior MQM leaders” (if really given) just like the Pakistani JIT`s are based on the in-custody confessions of MQM`s arrested workers? Secondly, if any list of explosives had really been recovered from an MQM`s premises, then why was no case registered against any of MQM`s leaders including Altaf Hussain by the UK authorities?

Regarding the relevant proofs/evidences in support of the BBC`s claims, Owen Bennett Jones has referred to the “authoritative Pakistani source”, “Pakistani media reports” and “Pakistani official”. In other words, his report is mainly based on what he was briefed from within Pakistan.

However very interestingly, the official head of these “Pakistani authoritative sources”, Ch, Nisar (the Federal Interior Minister of Pakistan) gets surprised over the “revelations” in the report and asks the UK authorities (not BBC) to conduct an enquiry and share the finding/proofs with him so as to arrive at the reality. 

It is on record that in January 2014, the same person (Owen Bennett Jones) first broke the news of the arrest of two persons (allegedly involved in Dr. Imran Farooq`s murder case) from the Karachi airport.( http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-25846311) In that report too, OBJ referred to the information he had received from the Pakistani authorities. However, from Karachi Police chief to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, none could come in the position to confirm the arrest. Only Pakistani some media-men were claiming that the two men had been captivated by ISI.

Very interestingly, one of the two wanted persons who, as per BBC`s claim, had been arrested on 19 September 2010 by the Pakistan authorities, was officially accepted to have been arrested just few days ago.(http://tribune.com.pk/story/905830/two-suspects-involved-in-dr-imran-farooq-murder-arrested-in-chaman-source/)

This makes the credibility of not only BBC`s Owen Bennett Jones, but also the suspicious “Pakistani authorities” very dubious.

Apparently, OBJ`s report appears to be a part of the on-going series of accusations and the resulted Rangers-led operation against MQM. The new operation which had to be only against criminals, is targeting MQM like in the 90`s. According to MQM, since 2013 when the operation was launched in Karachi, thousands of its workers have been arrested, dozens were tortured to death in the custody and about 90 went missing after arrest by mostly the plain clothed personnel of different agencies.

A couple of months ago, Rueters published a reported which revealed why the Rangers, the sub force of Pakistan Army, were exclusively targeting MQM. The report said that the civilian administration of Karachi had been sidelined, and that decisions were being taken by the head of the Rangers and the chief military commander for Sindh province as a part of a campaign to wrest control of Karachi from MQM. It further said, "There is a quiet, creeping takeover of Karachi by the military," said a government official close to Akhtar, head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, which traditionally acts as an extension of army power in Pakistan.”. "If Altaf Hussain steps down, the MQM will live on; if he doesn't, the party will go down with him,"(said an official with knowledge of the army's new strategy in Karachi.)”, the Reuters quoted. http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/27/us-pakistan-karachi-insight-idUSKBN0NH0WK20150427

It should be kept in mind that it is the same Gen. Rizwan Akhter (present DG ISI) who, when he was the DG Rangers Sindh, had accused MQM of having stolen 19,000 NATO containers and used its weapons in the target killings in Karachi (http://www.dawn.com/news/1039406.). However, the US officials altogether refuted such an allegation saying that neither none of its containers went missing not did it ever use Karachi port to transport weapons for NATO forces in Afghanistan.

The political history of Pakistan shows that is not the first time MQM is facing accusations and the consequent victimizations from the Pakistani military establishment. In 1992, a military operation hit MQM below the belt when MQM was in the coalition government with then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Principally, the military operation had to be against the criminals as per the list of 72 "big fish” presented in the Pakistani parliament.

In 1992, one of the most severe allegations on MQM and Altaf Hussain was to conspire for an independent state separate from Pakistan in the name of “Jinnah Pur”. Brigadier Asif Haroon, in a formal press conference, introduced this conspiracy and also showed a map of the alleged state (Jinnah Pur) which, according to him, had been recovered from MQM`s office. However, very soon, the ISPR (Inter Services Press Release of Pakistan Army) took its own charge back saying it did not recover any map at all. Nobody in Pakistan asked if there was no conspiracy from MQM for a separating state, then why did an Army Officer accuse MQM, and also who had drawn a fake map to prove the accusation.

Under those charges, over 15,000 Urdu speaking people specially MQM`s workers and leaders, were killed, both through extra-judicial killings and by the militants in the presence of the law-enforcement agencies. Then Army chief`s (Gerneral Asif Nawaz) statement (Altaf`s chapter is closed) let MQM know who was actually behind the on-going victimization and what they had aimed at.

From “Altaf`s Chapter is closed” to “If Altaf Hussain steps down, the MQM will live on; if he doesn't, the party will go down with him”, i.e., from 1992 to 2015, the Pakistani military establishment has been consistently continuing the same policy either to crush MQM or at least to separate its founder (Altaf Hussain) from it.

Altaf Hussain founded MQM in 80`s as a result of the ethnically-based indiscrimination against the Urdu speaking people in Pakistan. Moe than 80% percent mandate from the urban Sindh including Karachi for over 30 years has been endorsing his stands about it. Furthermore, MQM is unique in the Pakistani politics with the aspect that its leader Altaf Hussain refused to receive a brief case full of money from the ISI officials offered to him for being a part of the game against Benazir Bhutto`s political government. (Asghar Khan case over the same is still pending in the Supreme Court as a proof).

It is also fact that MQM has been the only liberal and moderate party of the country which has been strongly condemning the TTP & Jihadi terrorism and also opposing all kinds of negotiations with the Taliban groups unlike the military establishment as well as other pro-Taliban parties. Therefore, removing MQM from the political scene of Pakistan or at least sidelining Altaf Hussain from the party leadership would eventually benefit the Pakistan establishment in all the aspects.

But, question is, will the military establishment/ISI succeed to achieve its objective?

The history shows that all the strategies adopted and applied against MQM and Altaf Hussain especially from 1992 have still failed to bring the desired objectives. However, due to these tactics, the Urdu speaking community had to face a great loss of human lives (which MQM terms as “Genocide of Muahjirs”). Now, considering the increasing sense of deprivation and isolation in the people of Urban Sindh, if the on-going victimization is not stopped soon, people should be ready for another serious issue coming up internationally from Pakistan as Altaf Hussain has pointed in his latest speech.