News Opinion

9 April - Day of Infamy: Diabolical Cruelty of MQM

Usman Khalid, Pakistan, Sunday 13 April 2008

In contrast with the mayhem in Karachi of 12 May last year, 9 April was a minor show of strength by the MQM. On 12 May, the Karachi police and Rangers stood by while hooded assassins of the MQM roamed free on the streets of Karachi shooting at ecstatic crowd eager to salute Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry for his courage at being the first ever CJ in Pakistan to say 'no' to a military dictator. On 12 May, while the MQM led Karachi Administration had erected barriers on all roads leading from Karachi Airport to the High Court Building where the CJ was to address the bar, the Don of Karachi timed his 'telephonic address' to coincide with the arrival of the CJ in Karachi. His partner – General Musharraf - was still in uniform and was addressing crowds in Islamabad bussed in from all corners of the Punjab by the Chaudhries of Gujrat. All this was orchestrated to show solidarity between the MQM, the military, and 'loser' politicians. On the day they thought they won but the Supreme Court judgement went against them and the Chief Justice was restored. On 18 February, Musharraf supporters got a real drubbing at the hands of the people when they came out third in elections despite the caretaker administration being handpicked to favour them. One thought they would concede defeat with dignity and let the winners take over. But that did not happen.

While the support for PML(Q) had been haemorrhaging because of its association with General Musharraf, the MQM Mafia tightened its stranglehold over the large cities of Sindh. So, Musharraf still had one weapon up his sleeve. The Achilles' heal of the Peoples' Party, which won the most seats in the country and absolute majority in Sindh, is that it does not control the city Government of Karachi; its Mayor is from the MQM. However, the rank and file of the PPP is dead against a coalition with the MQM. Asif Zardadri was unsure of the wisdom of defying Musharraf who has been urging him not only to let the MQM into the government in Sindh but also at the Centre. PML(N) helped him deflect the pressure by taking a stand that the events of 12 May in Karachi must be inquired into and the role of the MQM explained to the satisfaction of the parliament before it can be accepted into the ruling coalition. The well-planned arson attacks in Karachi by the MQM on 9 April have helped Mr Zardari make up his mind about the giving them share in power in Sindh. The Sindh Government sworn in today, to the relief of the whole country, does not include a minister from the MQM. Instead of their strengthening the hand of the MQM, the events of 9 April have made their exclusion from the government easy.

The MQM attacks of 9 April are even more heinous than the events of 12 May. All the offices of lawyers not belonging to the MQM were set alight in Tahir Plaza. The office of a Mr Abbasi Advocate was locked from the outside and firebombed resulting in all the eight occupants including six lawyers and two women being incinerated alive. The diabolical cruelty displayed by the hooded thugs of the MQM carries the hallmarks of Hindu attacks on the Sikhs in the wake of the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and attacks on Muslims in Gujrat in 2002. Burning people alive in their homes, offices and places of worship is the preferred weapon of cowards and liars. Just to underline similarity with their Hindu brethren, the MQM leaders held several press conferences in London and Karachi to spread the lie that all the victims were MQM workers or their relatives. That is typical of the MQM. They are the first to condole with or congratulate the object of their designs and then they cite that as the proof of their being blameless and of their goodwill and sincerity. Mr Afridi, the Chairman of the Bar Association at Peshawar High Court, captured the mood of the nation when he said, "MQM demands Pathans should be sent back to the Frontier Province; we demand they should be sent back to India."

The plans of Musharraf for 9 April have backfired on him just as his plans for 12 May did. On 12 May, his show of force underlined more than his illegitimacy; it exposed his association with several crimes. No wonder he refused to order a judicial inquiry into the events of 12 May. He has again used 'display of strength' by criminal methods to underline the need to for the MQM mafia to be 'inside' the coalition as the price to be paid for peace in Sindh. The fact is that the capability of this mafia to disturbing peace in Karachi and Sindh depends on their being inside government and commit crimes with impunity. In the last year alone, MQM 'workers' murdered 600 members of MQM Haqiqi and Sunni Tehrik. The police made the arrests and the 'execution' was carried out by the MQM. No police station would register the case; no newspaper would print the news. Many of the 'disappeared' have been felled by the bullets of the MQM and are in their graves. The people of Karachi live in constant fear of their lives. The fear of the MQM is so great in Karachi that the people do not criticise them even in private lest their servant or an MQM sympathiser overhears their conversation and they get on the list of those to be liquidated.

The Prime Minister MUST now order a judicial inquiry into the events of 12 May and the Chief Minister of Sindh must order a judicial inquiry into the events of 9 April 9. Despite overwhelming evidence of the complicity of the MQM, a ban on the party should not be rushed into; it must await the result of the two inquiries. The people of Karachi and Sindh deserve better; they should also enjoy the 'freedom from fear' that the rest of the country enjoys. It is not a time to get mad; it is time to get even.
The events of 12 May created so a desperate situation that Musharraf violated the constitution and imposed a PCO (Provisional Constitution Order). Now there is a demand for a public inquiry into not just the events of 12 May but also of 9 April. In both events, the President Musharraf was personally and directly involved. Given time, he would surely come up with something as deadly and unconstitutional as the PCO. The ball is in the court of Mr Asif Zardari. Everybody else is ready to impeach the President. I believe now is the time to impeach Musharraf. If the coalition waits, he will get the time to invoke Article 58 (2)-b of the Constitution and dismiss the assemblies and the Government. Musharraf has not hesitated to violate the Constitution; dismissing the Government and the assemblies is not even unconstitutional.