Replied by(Noman) Replied on (22/Jun/2007)

Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain is facing the danger of being tried in the UK courts over terrorism charges after the British media declared on Saturday that the MQM is run like
By Rauf Klasra

LONDON: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain is facing the danger of being tried in the UK courts over terrorism charges after the British media declared on Saturday that the MQM is run like the mafia from an office block in London amid accusations that the party had planned (the May 12) carnage which left 42 dead.

This was declared in the findings of an investigative report of The Guardian. The MQM chief refused to meet its reporter when he tried to get his version on all these charges. His refusal strengthened the British media's view that the MQM is run like the mafia and whatever was being said about the party in Pakistan carried a lot of weight.

On the eve of arrival of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in London to file cases against the MQM chief, the UK media also splashed his demand that Altaf should face anti-terror charges.

The Daily Telegraph was the first paper to run a four-column front page story against Altaf, headlined, Running Karachi from London. The Guardian had assigned two of its reporters to investigate charges against the MQM and its chief Altaf Hussain. One of them went to Karachi and the other visited the MQM's London office to meet Altaf in his party office. The first reporter visited Altaf's residence in Karachi and found only one telephone operator running the house. The second reporter was shown only certain rooms of the MQM office in London and told that Altaf Bhai was not available to meet him.

According to The Guardian, outside may be Karachi but inside the discreetly guarded room all minds are focused on London. The clock is set to British summer time and a pair of telephones connect to an office 5,000 miles away, from where a controversial leader runs his political empire.

Altaf Hussain leads the Muttahida Qaumi Movement -- a powerful, popular and, critics say, thuggish political force that has a vice-like grip on Karachi. At "Nine Zero", the party headquarters in Karachi, his presence looms large. A giant poster hangs over the entrance and reverential acolytes speak of "Altaf Bhai". But the great leader is missing.

The Guardian writes that for the past 16 years, Altaf has lived in self-imposed exile in the UK, first as an asylum seeker and now as a British citizen. Based in an office block on Edgware High Street in north London he rules by phone, directing his closest lieutenants in long, late-night conversations. But in Pakistan that arrangement has become a matter of controversy -- one about to land at the British government's door.

The Guardian said cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan arrived in London to try to have Altaf prosecuted under British anti-terror laws. Three weeks ago gunmen opened fire on a rally in support of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, triggering a day of bloodshed that left 42 people dead. Imran -- as well as lawyers, human rights activists and opposition parties -- accuse Altaf of orchestrating the carnage from his sofa in London.

"The whole thing was planned. No British citizen is allowed to sit in London and direct terrorist operations abroad. So why should Altaf Hussain?" said Imran Khan who described the MQM as a fascist movement run by criminals. "If Pakistan has to arrest al-Qaeda operatives, then Britain has an obligation to pick up Altaf," added Imran, who plans to bring a petition to Downing Street. "There's a war on terror going on but here we have Pakistan's No 1 terrorist being given sanctuary by the British government," he said.

The MQM denies the charges, and insists it was the victim and not the perpetrator of May 12. The party says 13 of its own activists were among the dead, and last week it produced a video from May 12 showing apparent supporters of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) firing their guns in the air. "This is a conspiracy against us. Our decision to hold a rally on May 12 may be open to criticism, but we were not involved in armed attacks," said Dr Farooq Sattar, deputy convener of the MQM's Rabita Committee.

But Altaf has little to say. At the MQM's International Secretariat on Edgware High Street -- a red brick office block opposite a supermarket -- a party official said the leader was not available for comment. But he was happy to show the Guardian around the offices, which he confirmed was Altaf's London headquarters, and he vowed to repel any court action by Imran.

The fight is getting personal. Back in Karachi, graffiti slurs against Imran appeared on walls and the MQM-dominated local government has banned him from the city for one month. The report said the MQM was founded in 1984 by Altaf, a former Chicago cab driver, and won broad support among the Mohajirs. The party prided itself on its well-oiled machine and its secular, liberal outlook. But since May 12 the party's aspirations of becoming a national force lie in shreds, and there are worrying echoes of past tactics.

On Tuesday, three Karachi journalists with foreign news agencies found unmarked envelopes containing a single bullet on their car windscreens. Two of them had earlier been denounced as anti-Mohajir by the MQM-linked Muhajir Rabita Council.

The Guardian asks, "Will Mr Hussain ever come home?" At Nine Zero, where beefy young men with baseball caps stand guard, there is little sign. "We do not want him to come back to Karachi; it is too dangerous here," said parliamentarian Faisal Subzwari. But there is always hope. A few doors down Altaf's deserted terraced house is waiting, protected by blast proof metal shutters. For now, though, it has just one occupant -- a 24-hour telephone operator.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=8280