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Post by fretslider on Jun 3, 2014 12:10:09 GMT -5
One of Pakistan’s most powerful politicians was arrested in London on Tuesday, sparking panic in Karachi, where gunshots were fired, residents began stockpiling essentials and British diplomatic facilities were closed.
Altaf Hussain has lived in the UK since claiming asylum in the 1990s but maintains a tight grip on Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. The activities of his Muttahida Qaumi Movement have come under intense scrutiny by the Metropolitan Police since one of Mr Hussain’s key lieutenants was murdered in 2010 close to the party headquarters in Edgware.
Police on Tuesday would not confirm any details other than to say officers had arrested a 60-year-old man on suspicion of money laundering.
Security sources confirmed it was Mr Hussain, whose home was searched last year in connection with the investigation.
Farooq Sattar, a senior MQM figure, criticised the police action, saying Mr Hussain was ill with diabetes and had been due to go to hospital on the day police officers arrived at his house. “MQM and Mr Hussain have been co-operating all along so this type of action was unnecessary,” he said.
He also appealed to people in Karachi to remain calm. “We are appealing to party supporters to exercise restraint, not to take the law into their own hands and to remain vigilant for saboteurs taking advantage of the situation,” said Dr Sattar.
Karachi has a long history of political violence, pitting MQM supporters, drawn originally from Urdu-speaking immigrants from India, against Pashtu-speakers from north-western Pakistan or other gangs whose roots lie in the rural areas beyond the city. Shops and offices closed as news of the arrest spread and fears of a violent backlash grew.
Plumes of smoke spiraled into the air as dozens of cars and auto-rickshaws were set ablaze. Police deployed extra personnel around the British Deputy High Commission, which closed to the public as a temporary precaution.
Mr Hussain arrived in London after being accused of murder and kidnapping at a time when the army said the MQM was running torture chambers in its strongholds. He always denied the charges, claiming they were trumped up by his political opponents. Today his party’s gangland politics are frequently blamed for violence in Karachi. Last year Imran Khan said it was behind the murder of one of his supporters.
Mr Hussain is famous for his telephone rallies, attracting thousands of people on to the streets to listen to his fiery addresses from London. He can shut down Karachi – the country’s commercial capital - in minutes by simply calling a strike. Last year, an election year in Pakistan, the Metropolitan Police received hundreds of calls accusing him of inciting violence in one of his speeches, an accusation he denied, saying his words had been taken out of context.
Last week detectives named two Pakistani men they wanted to question in relation to the killing of Imran Farooq, who had once been a senior figure in the MQM but had recently decided to break away from Mr Hussain.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Islamabad said: “The Deputy British High Commission has been temporarily closed to the public. “We hope to resume a full service shortly.”
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/10871834/London-arrest-of-Pakistani-exile-sparks-panic-in-Karachi.html
Close the embassy, save the hassle. We don't need Pakistan.
Altaf Hussain has lived in the UK since claiming asylum in the 1990s but maintains a tight grip on Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. The activities of his Muttahida Qaumi Movement have come under intense scrutiny by the Metropolitan Police since one of Mr Hussain’s key lieutenants was murdered in 2010 close to the party headquarters in Edgware.
Police on Tuesday would not confirm any details other than to say officers had arrested a 60-year-old man on suspicion of money laundering.
Security sources confirmed it was Mr Hussain, whose home was searched last year in connection with the investigation.
Farooq Sattar, a senior MQM figure, criticised the police action, saying Mr Hussain was ill with diabetes and had been due to go to hospital on the day police officers arrived at his house. “MQM and Mr Hussain have been co-operating all along so this type of action was unnecessary,” he said.
He also appealed to people in Karachi to remain calm. “We are appealing to party supporters to exercise restraint, not to take the law into their own hands and to remain vigilant for saboteurs taking advantage of the situation,” said Dr Sattar.
Karachi has a long history of political violence, pitting MQM supporters, drawn originally from Urdu-speaking immigrants from India, against Pashtu-speakers from north-western Pakistan or other gangs whose roots lie in the rural areas beyond the city. Shops and offices closed as news of the arrest spread and fears of a violent backlash grew.
Plumes of smoke spiraled into the air as dozens of cars and auto-rickshaws were set ablaze. Police deployed extra personnel around the British Deputy High Commission, which closed to the public as a temporary precaution.
Mr Hussain arrived in London after being accused of murder and kidnapping at a time when the army said the MQM was running torture chambers in its strongholds. He always denied the charges, claiming they were trumped up by his political opponents. Today his party’s gangland politics are frequently blamed for violence in Karachi. Last year Imran Khan said it was behind the murder of one of his supporters.
Mr Hussain is famous for his telephone rallies, attracting thousands of people on to the streets to listen to his fiery addresses from London. He can shut down Karachi – the country’s commercial capital - in minutes by simply calling a strike. Last year, an election year in Pakistan, the Metropolitan Police received hundreds of calls accusing him of inciting violence in one of his speeches, an accusation he denied, saying his words had been taken out of context.
Last week detectives named two Pakistani men they wanted to question in relation to the killing of Imran Farooq, who had once been a senior figure in the MQM but had recently decided to break away from Mr Hussain.
A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Islamabad said: “The Deputy British High Commission has been temporarily closed to the public. “We hope to resume a full service shortly.”
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/10871834/London-arrest-of-Pakistani-exile-sparks-panic-in-Karachi.html
Close the embassy, save the hassle. We don't need Pakistan.
