“WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND”

 “We will not hand over his (Nawaz Sharif`s) life to the killers by calling him back here (Pakistan)”, PMLN`s leader Marium Nawaz made it clear to the PPP`s co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari who had asked Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan first before PPP could decide about the resignations from the Assemblies. 

Earlier, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, too had accused the military establishment of giving a life threat to Marium Nawaz. He said that he would hold Prime Minister Imran Khan, Army Chief and DG ISI responsible if anything happens to her.

Can the Pakistani military establishment really go that far in case of any differences with the political leadership or not, much can be said or written about. But, it has been very clear that at least the PMLN leadership strongly believes that.

The recent stance of the PMLN`s leadership reminds the era of 1992 when an army operation was launched in Karachi. Apparently, the operation (known as “operation clean up”) was to target the criminal elements. But, very soon, it turned out to be a maliciously conspiracy against MQM. 

The crackdown began from June 19, 1992 with the violent “entry” of the Haqiqi group (mainly comprised of those expelled from MQM over the violations of party discipline) into Karachi. The deployed Haqiqi group militarily took over the MQM offices and abducted dozens of its workers.  Instead of providing protection to MQM`s supporters and workers from the terrorism of Haqiqi group, the army too officially announced to have launched its operation in Karachi, of which MQM became the only victim.  

Taking into account the worsening situation and also receiving no protection from the concerned authorities, MQM leadership decided to close all its offices and directed its workers and leaders to go underground in order to avoid any clashes and also to save their lives.

It was the same time when then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was on an official visit of UK. The MQM leader and founder Altaf Hussain had an urgent meeting with Mr. Nawaz Sharif and informed him about the terrible situation in Karachi and asked him to take notice of the military crackdown against the government-allied party (MQM).

Nawaz Sharif did not give any positive response to the concerns raised before him, but he did ask Altaf Hussain to come back to Pakistan along with him. 

Altaf Hussain responded to him saying, “When you, despite being the Prime Minister, cannot provide protection to my followers in Karachi, how would you be able to protect me in Pakistan?”  

Question is, why did Nawaz Sharif ask Altaf Hussain to come back to Pakistan? Was he blind of the open secret that the military establishment was deadly against MQM and its founder? 

To tell the truth, the 1992`s military operation was a nightmare for Muhajirs. Hundreds of MQM`s workers and sympathizers were abducted, brutally tortured and killed by the militarily deployed Haqiqi group. House to house search operations in Urdu speaking dominant areas, humiliation, torture and illegal arrests of thousands of Muhajirs were on the peak. Not only this, even the head money was announced for some MQM leaders (especially including then MQM`s secretary general Dr. Imran Farooq. That was why he had to seek political asylum in UK). It was nothing, but an “official permission” to the rivals to kill MQM`s leaders and get the monetary rewards in return from the government. It was also termed as a “License-to-kill” by the courts later on.

It is also on record that then army chief General Asif Nawaz openly supported the division in MQM arguing, “When there can be groups in Muslim League, why not in MQM?”. His political statement clearly exposed the mala fide intention behind the army operation launched in the disguise of “restoring peace”.

In the same context, one of the leaders of “Haqiqi” group named Amir Khan accepted, in a TV interview with Shah Zaib Khanzada) that they (Afaq Ahmed and Amir Khan) were already in touch with the agencies, and that their “entry” into the city against Altaf Hussain too was as per the “understandings” with them.

Question is, can Nawaz Sharif claim to be unaware of all that as he was the chief executive of the country that time, and especially when MQM kept informing him via telephone calls, telegrams and letters about the ongoing victimization of the people?

No, not at all. Because it was Nawaz Sharif himself who, while clarifying his position regarding the 1992`s army operation, explained to the MQM leadership that it was General Asif Nawaz who was the real man behind the operation. This was, in turn, a self-confession that Nawaz Sharif was fully aware of the actual plan of “operation cleanup”. All this is enough to understand the level of hostility that the establishment was having against Altaf Hussain.

So, keeping in view all that, was the Nawaz Sharif`s persuading Altaf Hussain to return to Pakistan in 1992 not be construed as a deliberate attempt to hand him over to the “killers”? Didn`t he know that his “aiding and abetting” in the establishment`s “Minus-Altaf” scheme could have caused a great loss to the already victimized community? 

Yes, he did! He was very well aware not only of the consequences to MQM, but also of the resulting political benefits to PMLN and the establishment. That was why the Nawaz Sharif`s political government collaborated with the military establishment against Altaf Hussain. 

But, today, Nawaz Sharif himself is facing the similar type of difficulties that he created for Altaf Hussain and his party. And the political benefits that he had planned in 1992 to avail (by forcefully sidelining MQM), are being enjoyed by his political rival Asif Zardari and PPP. That is the scenario for which it is said, “What goes around, eventually comes around”.