Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief on Friday urged the armed forces of Pakistan to `save Pakistan from disintegration'. Accusing the Awami National Party (ANP) of working towards breaking up the country, he said should army decide to thwart the conspiracy which, he claimed, was against the very existence of the country it would find hundreds of thousands of MQM workers at its disposal.
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Speaking to his party workers in various cities of Pakistan through a marathon telephone-conference from London which lasted for well over three hours, the MQM chief claimed that a conspiracy was afoot to break up the country and his party was the major hurdle towards such nefarious designs. "I am mindful that I can be killed because I have come out in open to fight to save Pakistan," he said and added that he was now preparing his will.
Accusing the Jamaat-e-Islami of masterminding a plan and hiring a group of "Haqiqi" men to fire at and kill people in MQM rally on May 12, 2007, he claimed that his party had no role in the mayhem on Karachi's streets on the day of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry's arrival at the Jinnah International Airport from where he was scheduled to begin his visit of the city. He said that MQM alone could not fight the super powers, however, if Army, ISI and MQM joined hands, then they could effectively contend the enemies of Pakistan.
He said MQM would play its due role for the stability and prosperity of the country. To substantiate his claim that international conspiracy was being hatched to break the country, he showed a Washington Post report and a book titled as 'The Coming Anarchy' written by Robert Kaplan.
He said US influence in country could not be ignored in the prevailing law and order situation in the country. He urged Pakistan Army and intelligence agencies to play their due role and save country from 'US mercenaries' and MQM would support his patriotic army in this connection.
He appealed to Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaque Pervaiz Kayani, DG Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani to see the video of brutal murder of Urdu-speaking people in Lyari, and take action against the people involved in the killings.
"I am not the enemy of Pukhtuns," he said, adding that he said in 1986 that Khan Ghaffar Khan was not a traitor He further said that the leadership of Awami National Party (ANP) was misguiding Pakhtuns in Peshawar and Karachi. Regarding 12 May, 2007 mayhem, Altaf Hussain said that MQM had taken out peaceful rally on that day in favour of judiciary and justice.
Hussain further said that someone should tell Chief Justice that MQM had taken not taken out rally against him. He added that Thunder Squad of Islami Jamiat Talba (IJT) provided full support to the anti-social elements in order to kill innocent people on May 12. Altaf Hussain said that he had evidence that Irfan Ullah Marwat asked Shahi Syed that why his party was killed so many innocent on May 12. "Shahi Syed replied that they acted on the directives of Asfandyar Wali Khan," he claimed.
Altaf Hussain also came hard on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and accused Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and PML-N of violating Charter of Democracy (CoD). To a question, Altaf Hussain said that MQM were demonstrating restrain and patience, but what is happening in Karachi continue, then they would be free in taking their course of action.