MQM`s Arrested Worker Or ISIS Hostages?

“There is no reality in the charges against MQM. The similar charges were leveled in 1992 too, but proved to be false” said Amir Khan while talking to media at MQM`s head office after having been released on bail by the ATC.(http://www.mqm.org/urdunews/32110& http://www.dawn.com/news/1191425/mqm-leader-amir-khan-released-from-karachi-central-jail)

On March 11 of this year when the Rangers (Pakistan army`s sub-force) raided MQM`s head office and arrested dozens of its workers, Amir Khan was one of them. Like others, he was also handed over to the Rangers by the court on remand for 90 days. During the period when he was in the Rangers` custody, Pakistani media broke the news quoting the Rangers` sources that Amir Khan had confessed that MQM had been involved in many crimes including money laundering as well as the murders of Azeem Ahmed Tariq and Dr. Imran Farooq. It was also claimed that Amir Khan was sensing the life threat from MQM after this revelation and would soon request the court not to release him due to this (http://arynews.tv/en/mqm-leader-amir-khans-revelations-trigger-political-storm)

However, after about 100 days, Amir Khan not only got released on bail through the party`s lawyers, but also before the media denied all the allegations on MQM.

After Amir Khan has strongly denied all sorts of charges on MQM, then what is the value of the alleged confession that Rangers issued to the media when he was in their custody? People know that when Amir Khan `s alleged confession was aired, MQM refused to believe that it was his statement. 

Now, Amir Khan`s denial proves that MQM was right. Question is, why did the Rangers attempt to malign MQM by issuing a fabricated “confession” to the media? Was that not the reflection of the ill-intention of Rangers which are leading the Karachi operation exclusively targeting MQM?   

In fact, this is not a new thing at all. MQM has been facing all this since its inception. The records reveal that most of the allegations on MQM were mainly based on the “confessions” of MQM`s arrested workers recorded by the Pakistan law-enforcement agencies (LEA`s). Even if the Pakistani officials introduced a new charge, that too was tried to be endorsed through the in-custody confessions. SSP Rao Anwar`s allegation of Indian funding and training against MQM, that BBC used as one of the bases for its report, was also supported by the same type of confession of the already arrested workers.   

Honestly speaking, it is seems quite strange that the Pakistani media breaks the news of arrest and confession of (alleged) criminals and target killers quoting the Police or Rangers` sources, in a sequence at the same time. But, we know that it rarely happens that a professional criminal or killer confesses all the ill-deeds immediately after he is arrested. Secondly, to see the MQM`s workers in the “leaked” videos making confessions, it looks as if they are not in the custody of the Pakistani law-enforcement agencies, but are the hostages of ISIS. Furthermore, the custodial deaths of MQM`s workers and their inhumanly tortured dead bodies clearly expose the process of recording confessions by the Pakistani law-enforces.

According to MQM, its workers are first arrested and after several days, weeks and even, in some cases months, their arrest is officially declared. During this period, the law-enforcement agencies try to force them to own the already written statements criminalizing MQM. The latest example of the same is of Asif Ali__an MQM worker about whom the Rangers claimed to have arrested just few days ago in the murder charge of Waqas Shah (who was shot dead during the Rangers` raid at MQM`s head office). 

On the other hand, MQM says that Asif Ali was actually arrested last month in May and now is being involved in the murder which Rangers are themselves accused of.

Recently, a former MQM worker was hanged in a murder case. It is on record that when he was arrested in 1998, his statement was released to the media accepting the charge. However, when he was produced before the court, he denied all that and kept on legally fighting against the allegation for about 17 years. 

More interestingly, he was the same person who was forced also to confess Dr. Imram Farooq`s murder in 1998, i.e., about 2 years before he was actually murdered in London. 

Taking into account all these, can the allegations leveled by the Police and Rangers logically and legally be relied upon anyhow? More importantly, when the cause (allegations) does not have reliability, how can its result (targeted operations against MQM) be impartial?

To tell the truth, putting false allegations by obtaining confessions through torture and then targeting a specific party & community is definitely the sheer violation of the prevailing laws, and the fundamental human rights. So, the Pakistani authorities especially including the military establishment should keep this in their minds that their long-adopted policy of criminalizing MQM and its followers (mainly belonging to Urdu speaking community) has made the people suffer the worst. Their frustration is increasing day by day which is definitely not a good sign for the unity and integrity of the country. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to end the on-going oppression and make compensations as soon as possible. In the other case, any more victimization can make the situation even worse that may erupt like a volcano.