British police gets MQM’s Bhai, Sindh on toes

• MQM leader Altaf Hussain taken into custody on suspicion of money laundering, shifted to hospital for checkup but will remain in police supervision for investigation
• London Metro Police searching Altaf Hussain’s property in North West London for more evidence
• MQM leaders say party chief had been ill for some time, urge supporters not to resort to violence
• Federal govt says will provide all legal, moral support to MQM chief but won’t allow violence in Karachi
• Within minutes of Altaf Hussain’s arrest, panicked shopkeepers and market stall owners rushed to close their businesses for fear of violence

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain was arrested on Tuesday in London on charges of money laundering and was later shifted to a local hospital over deteriorating health condition where, according to Scotland Yard, he will remain under police custody.

The London Metropolitan Police said a Specialist Operations Unit was currently carrying out a search operation at Hussain’s property in North West London while according to Scotland Yard, the MQM chief’s investigation would continue for 24 hours while his British passport had also been seized by authorities.

In a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, MQM Senior Deputy Convenor Nadeem Nusrat said that London Metropolitan Police arrived at Hussain’s residence in North London with a search warrant and wanted to take him to the police station for investigation into money laundering.

The MQM leader said that Hussain had been ill for some time, adding that he was scheduled to be shifted to a hospital Tuesday when the police arrived at his residence. Nusrat insisted that Hussain was not under arrest but at home.

Nusrat advised all party members inside and outside Pakistan to control their emotions and not do anything that may go against the teachings of their leader.

MQM leader Farogh Naseem also said that Hussain had not been arrested and Scotland Yard only needed him for a statement in relation to a case.

Moreover, MQM leader Farooq Sattar also appealed to party workers to remain calm and pray for Hussain.

“We should act on the teachings of Altaf Hussain. We should pray for his health, we should say that he should be given medical treatment and his medical tests should be conducted,” he added.

Hussain’s supporters had gathered outside the party’s headquarters, Nine Zero, chanting slogans in favour of Hussain. They said they would continue protesting until Hussain was freed.

MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said it was the prime responsibility of the activists not to resort to violence and remain peaceful. He denied reports of Hussain’s arrest and said that the MQM chief was still at his residence.

It is time for party activists to be composed and avoid spreading rumours, he said, adding that those who were trying to create panic among the citizens were not MQM activists.

Later in the day, Rizvi said that the protest sit-in outside Nine Zero had concluded and now supporters and workers of the party would hold a sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi. He added that MQM workers would continue the protest sit-in at Numaish until Hussain addressed them.

THE NATURE OF ARREST:

Amidst conflicting reports pertaining to the nature of arrest, Jaffer Rizvi of the BBC said if someone was arrested, it involved a long process.

“They may even have arrested him for a statement only and may let him go after 24 hours.”

Rizvi said the police had not named Hussain and had only said that a 60-year-old man had been arrested. He said the police in London must have strong evidence on Hussain, adding that the development would have a strong impact on Pakistan’s politics and economy.

Moreover, London-based journalist Farooq Shah said that Hussain had been arrested and the police was searching his house. He added that the British High Commission had told the Pakistani government that if they take action against Hussain, it would be with full evidence.

Shah moreover said that if proven guilty for committing a crime in the UK, the guilty person would not be able to leave the country and would be penalised in Great Britain only. He, however, insisted that evidence against the accused must be strong enough to merit action.

KARACHI FEELS THE HEAT:

As tension grips Karachi, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that the issue of Hussain’s arrest was of an extremely sensitive nature, adding that the government would take all legal angles into account. The premier directed parliamentarians and members of the PML-N not to comment on the news.

The federal government has also pledged “moral and legal” support for Hussain, directing the law enforcement agencies to focus on the protection of life and property of citizens of Pakistan as the city feels the heat post Hussain’s arrest.

Within minutes of Hussain’s arrest, panicked shop-keepers and market stall owners rushed to close their businesses for fear of violence.

Moosa Raza, a resident of Karachi, said, “All shops and markets are shut. Even small cigarette shops are closed. Petrol station operators have also closed down, fearing violence.”

Moreover, unidentified people took to the streets and the city was in a state of frenzy with a number of neighbourhoods experiencing traffic jams.

Three people were injured in firing in Baldia Town, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Natha Khan areas while three buses and a dozen cars were also set alight in Shafiq Mor and Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

Many rushed to stock up on groceries in anticipation of a prolonged shutdown while office workers left for home early, clogging up roads.

“We don’t know for how long the shops will remain closed and I want to store as much groceries as I could,” Razia Begum, 45, said as she jostled for space in a packed shop.

A spokesman for Pakistan Railways told a foreign news agency that all trains leaving Karachi had been temporarily halted.

UK CONSULATE CLOSED:

In the meanwhile, a spokesman for the British High Commission said that the UK’s Consulate in Karachi has been temporarily closed down.

“We deployed extra security at the British High Commission in the southern part of Karachi as soon we learnt about Altaf Hussain’s arrest in London through media,” Deputy Inspector General Abdul Khalique Shaikh told reporters.

KSE-100 TAKES A DIP:

Moreover, the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE-100 index) fell 780 points immediately after the news came and commercial centres across Sindh’s provincial capital started to shut down.

In the wake of the frenzy engulfing the city, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) demanded that the provincial capital be handed under military control, adding that if the government failed to establish peace in the next 24 hours, a strike will be held.

CHARGES AND CONSEQUENCES:

Hussain was being investigated for money laundering worth at least 400,000 pounds as well as for incitement to violence and MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq’s murder.

Last week, senior MQM leader Farooq Sattar had disclosed at a public meeting that Hussain’s bank accounts in London were being frozen and had asked party workers and supporters to continue their ‘peaceful struggle’ against the British government.

Hussain, who has been living in London for over two decades and is now a British citizen, did not address that meeting held to condemn money-laundering investigations against him by UK authorities.

In July 2013, the London Metropolitan Police had confirmed that investigations against Hussain had been initiated on charges of money laundering and incitement to violence.

The Metropolitan Police had confirmed that ‘a considerable amount of money’ had been found during raids on Hussain’s residence and office in London.

The reply had said that the cash was found when a counter-terrorism unit of police raided Hussain’s office on December 6, 2012 under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act in connection with the investigation of Dr Imran Farooq murder case.

Police had at the time said that the money was seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.