Adeel
Founder
Musharrafs decision to sack SC judges was taken without consulting MQM; fears Army intervention; Pakistan needs another French or Iranian revolution
By Shaheen Sehbai
LONDON: MQM supremo Altaf Hussain is a very disturbed man and minces no words in speaking out openly against the political Tamasha going on in the Punjab and Islamabad, saying in so many words that he was not much interested in saving the political system because the very existence of the state was at stake and time was running out fast.
I have been pleading with President Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif to start a dialogue and bring the temperature down but it appears that personalities of people change when they occupy seats of supreme power and no one then listens to any sane advice. I can only speak to them as I do not have a gun to force them, he told me in a long talk during which he spoke mostly on the record but also gave some scathing comments about everyone off the record.
But during the long discussion, I got a very strong sense that while Altaf Bhai was repeatedly warning against the dangers to the country, he said several times that we will not be affected probably meaning that Karachi will still be a MQM-controlled city. Hamain to faraq nahin parta, was his refrain more than once, yet he was sincerely of the view that Pakistan was facing serious threats and the current political infighting was totally unnecessary and irrelevant to the challenges that lurked not so far away in time.
The superpowers can achieve what they want and pretty easily, Altaf Hussain said in another context. He was very interested in the recent Nato briefings that seniors editors and media men recently got for several days in Brussels and when told that Nato and the Western countries were not just thinking the present geographicstate of Pakistan but even beyond that, Altaf Bhai was quick to grab the argument to say this was exactly what his analysis was.
The MQM chief is also very worried about the long march and its consequences for the country and he repeatedly said politicians did not learn lessons as the current jockeying for power was not in the countrys interest.
He almost said during our conversation that the Army could return to power as a result of the present confrontation. I can see that this will ultimately be the only result, he thoughtfully said, speaking very slowly and contemplating and focusing his thoughts.
These politicians belong to the rich, feudal and elite class and they cannot change their ways. This is out of question, Altaf Hussain said, repeating at one point that this country is also getting out of question, meaning it may not survive this wrangling. But when asked if the country broke up where and how will these rich classes survive, he said: They will survive because they have made their alternate arrangements. The 98 per cent of the poor people will be destroyed.
He recalled his partys efforts to set foot in the Punjab and the rest of the country and said they had spent millions of rupees to get a foothold in the Punjab but did not succeed but they were trying and would keep on trying. Ours is a party which can bring the change and people of Pakistan had to realise that they need a party which does not protect the rich classes only.
Altaf Bhai narrated an interesting story about Karachi Nazim Mustafa Kamal who, he said, had been picked purely on merit because when he came to him, he had no lobby or no Sifarish from anyone.
He even did not have the money. When I picked him up as the mayor of Karachi, I took him to a London designer suit shop and bought him some decent suits and shirts as he could not afford them, the MQM supremo recalled. I have told the mayor to come to me for every request, whenever he needs anything. And so he does, even when his mother is sick or there is any other family problem.
About Gen Musharraf, the MQM leader was very bitter because he said the MQM supported him out of the way but when he took the decision of removing the Supreme Court chief justice and the judiciary, he did not consult the party even once. If he had done so, things would not have been the same.
He even saw some conspiracy in the high media projection of Gen Musharraf and said he was surprised that the media was treating him still like a head of state. They even preferred the Musharraf news conference on Monday to the public meeting of Nawaz Sharif in Jhelum, he remarked.
Speaking in philosophical terms, Altaf Hussain said he would never ever take any office, as he had not done so until now. Even if the MQM forms governments in the entire country, I will never accept any office. I believe in hard work, honesty and commitment, which can be done without an office.
But then he went on to state that Pakistan now needed a French Revolution to correct the situation. If people who think like me come to power, they should clean up the corrupt both in the military and the civil feudal structures. Only this is the solution.
He totally agreed when I mentioned Imam Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution. We do need a Khomeini, he said. Coming back to Pakistani politics, he again asked Nawaz Sharif and President Zardari to sit down for a dialogue and find a solution, which is better for the country. Otherwise, the consequences will be too disastrous.
He said the steps taken by President Zardari, specially going back on his written agreements and promises, may have helped him in the short run but were very damaging for his image and long-term politics.
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=20847
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By Shaheen Sehbai
LONDON: MQM supremo Altaf Hussain is a very disturbed man and minces no words in speaking out openly against the political Tamasha going on in the Punjab and Islamabad, saying in so many words that he was not much interested in saving the political system because the very existence of the state was at stake and time was running out fast.
I have been pleading with President Zardari and Mian Nawaz Sharif to start a dialogue and bring the temperature down but it appears that personalities of people change when they occupy seats of supreme power and no one then listens to any sane advice. I can only speak to them as I do not have a gun to force them, he told me in a long talk during which he spoke mostly on the record but also gave some scathing comments about everyone off the record.
But during the long discussion, I got a very strong sense that while Altaf Bhai was repeatedly warning against the dangers to the country, he said several times that we will not be affected probably meaning that Karachi will still be a MQM-controlled city. Hamain to faraq nahin parta, was his refrain more than once, yet he was sincerely of the view that Pakistan was facing serious threats and the current political infighting was totally unnecessary and irrelevant to the challenges that lurked not so far away in time.
The superpowers can achieve what they want and pretty easily, Altaf Hussain said in another context. He was very interested in the recent Nato briefings that seniors editors and media men recently got for several days in Brussels and when told that Nato and the Western countries were not just thinking the present geographicstate of Pakistan but even beyond that, Altaf Bhai was quick to grab the argument to say this was exactly what his analysis was.
The MQM chief is also very worried about the long march and its consequences for the country and he repeatedly said politicians did not learn lessons as the current jockeying for power was not in the countrys interest.
He almost said during our conversation that the Army could return to power as a result of the present confrontation. I can see that this will ultimately be the only result, he thoughtfully said, speaking very slowly and contemplating and focusing his thoughts.
These politicians belong to the rich, feudal and elite class and they cannot change their ways. This is out of question, Altaf Hussain said, repeating at one point that this country is also getting out of question, meaning it may not survive this wrangling. But when asked if the country broke up where and how will these rich classes survive, he said: They will survive because they have made their alternate arrangements. The 98 per cent of the poor people will be destroyed.
He recalled his partys efforts to set foot in the Punjab and the rest of the country and said they had spent millions of rupees to get a foothold in the Punjab but did not succeed but they were trying and would keep on trying. Ours is a party which can bring the change and people of Pakistan had to realise that they need a party which does not protect the rich classes only.
Altaf Bhai narrated an interesting story about Karachi Nazim Mustafa Kamal who, he said, had been picked purely on merit because when he came to him, he had no lobby or no Sifarish from anyone.
He even did not have the money. When I picked him up as the mayor of Karachi, I took him to a London designer suit shop and bought him some decent suits and shirts as he could not afford them, the MQM supremo recalled. I have told the mayor to come to me for every request, whenever he needs anything. And so he does, even when his mother is sick or there is any other family problem.
About Gen Musharraf, the MQM leader was very bitter because he said the MQM supported him out of the way but when he took the decision of removing the Supreme Court chief justice and the judiciary, he did not consult the party even once. If he had done so, things would not have been the same.
He even saw some conspiracy in the high media projection of Gen Musharraf and said he was surprised that the media was treating him still like a head of state. They even preferred the Musharraf news conference on Monday to the public meeting of Nawaz Sharif in Jhelum, he remarked.
Speaking in philosophical terms, Altaf Hussain said he would never ever take any office, as he had not done so until now. Even if the MQM forms governments in the entire country, I will never accept any office. I believe in hard work, honesty and commitment, which can be done without an office.
But then he went on to state that Pakistan now needed a French Revolution to correct the situation. If people who think like me come to power, they should clean up the corrupt both in the military and the civil feudal structures. Only this is the solution.
He totally agreed when I mentioned Imam Khomeini, the leader of the Iranian revolution. We do need a Khomeini, he said. Coming back to Pakistani politics, he again asked Nawaz Sharif and President Zardari to sit down for a dialogue and find a solution, which is better for the country. Otherwise, the consequences will be too disastrous.
He said the steps taken by President Zardari, specially going back on his written agreements and promises, may have helped him in the short run but were very damaging for his image and long-term politics.
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=20847
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