Shahid
Pasha is not the first member of MQM`s top cadre who has been taken into
custody by the Rangers like this; Qamar Mansoor, Amir Khan and Kaif-ul-Warah
have been treated the same way. Generally, a person is arrested for
investigation following a case registered against him. However, in MQM`s case,
first its members are arrested, 90-day remand is sought from the court,
investigation is conducted in the custody and then cases are registered against
them. For how long, will such accused face the investigation and prosecution,
the period may be indefinite.
Recently, an MQM`s arrested worker (Ubaid) was
released from the custody of Rangers
after two years on the court orders as the law-enforcement agencies had
failed to produce any concrete evidence in support of the charges they had put
on him. (The court imposed no penalty on the law-enforcement agencies for
having kept an innocent person in their custody for two years.)
Since
September 2013 when the Rangers launched operation in Karachi, thousands of
MQM`s supporters and workers have been arrested. Dozens of them were killed in
the custody and almost similar number is of those who have become the victims
of enforced disappearances. According to MQM`s leader Farooq Sattar, “Now
with the passage of time, the list of MQM`s missing workers is getting shortened
as their mutilated dead bodies are being founded from different parts of the
city”. The recently recovered dead bodies of two MQM`s workers (who had
been picked up by the law-enforcement agencies in November 2015, as their
families revealed to the media) proves his words true.
Although
MQM kept calling attention of all the authorities concerned to the gross human
violation of its workers and supports, no one had paid a heed to it. From the
political governments to the military establishment, all have remained silent
over it. Even the Pakistani judiciary took no suo moto notice, unlike in the
past, of the victimization of the most popular political party of Karachi MQM
under the Rangers-led operation.
It
is on record that it was only MQM which itself demanded an operation in Karachi
against criminals and also vowed to co-operation with the law-enforcement
agencies. What it only requested the officials was to set up a monitoring
committee (to be comprised by impartial spectators) so that the proposed operation
could not be used to target any specific political party or a community like in
the 90`s. Though the Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif agreed to it and
announced to do that, but he did not keep his promise despite the countless
incidents of violation of human rights. Rather, he appreciated the way Police
and Rangers had been conducting their actions in Karachi.
In
such a scenario, MQM`s founder and leader Altaf Hussain was justified to ask
General Raheel Sharif (the head of the most powerful institution of the
country) what his party should do as the Urdu speaking/Muhajir community was
being victimized on ethnic basis by the law-enforcement agencies and no one was
coming up to stop it. Unfortunately, whenever MQM`s leader extended his hand
for co-operation/friendship to the Pakistani military establishment, the oppression
got worsened. This time too it just got repeated when Altaf Hussain, on March
18 (while addressing a big public rally in Karachi from London), requested the
chief of Pakistan army to create friendly relations with MQM in order to fight the
extremist groups shoulder to shoulder, dead bodies of his two party workers
(who had been picked up by the law-enforcement agencies in November 2015) were
found just two days after the speech. Similarly, on March 20, Altaf Hussain drew
attention of the Army chief to the threats being given to MQM office bearer and
its elected representatives by the law-enforcement agencies, the same day, the
Rangers arrested the MQM`s Deputy Convener Shahid Pasha in a pre-dawn raid at
his house.
In
fact, these were the atrocities by the law-enforcement agencies and the consequently
developing anger in people that made MQM`s founder criticize the Rangers and warned
the military establishment of the imminent retaliation from the victims. However,
instead of honestly realizing the worsening situation and the increasing sense
of isolation in people, Altaf Hussain was accused of threatening the Pakistani
army and more than one hundred FIR`s (cases) were registered against him in
just few days. Not only this, even the complete media blackout was enforced of
his speeches as well as images all over Pakistan. How strange it seems that the
forces and other MQM`s rivals are enjoying absolute liberty to victimize MQM
and its voters, but there is a complete ban on the victims for raising voice
over it.
It
should be kept in mind that Pakistan already has a history of ethnic
victimization in the disguise of military operations. Baluchistan, Interior
Sindh and KPK have already faced ill-treatment during the army operations in
the past. “Formerly East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, too got separated from Pakistan
as a retaliation of the continuous discrimination, injustice and especially the
genocide of Bengali community during the operation by the army of West Pakistan.
Very
unfortunately, instead of learning a lesson from the past and making a change in
its policy, Pakistani military establishment is still moving on the same path.
Anyway, Altaf Hussain has, like in the past, repeatedly called attention of the
all the relevant authorities to the increasing sense of deprivation in the Urdu
speaking/Muhajir community because of the oppression committed by law-enforcement
agencies since 1992. So if the situation goes out of control, at least Altaf Hussain
and his party cannot be held responsible at all.
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