- Malir SSP transferred after accusing MQM of having its men trained by RAW in India for terrorism
- MQM denies cop’s claims, says suspects on whom SSP based his claims were arrested previously
The Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM)–already on guard after being repeatedly accused of housing criminals– ducked a bouncer Thursday as it rebuked Karachi’s Malir Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Rao Anwaar for burdening the party with sedition and treason charges on alleged grounds of having links with Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
SSP Anwaar who made the anti-MQM ‘revelations’ in a press conference yesterday, was transferred later in the night for “misusing his official powers”, said a Sindh Police spokesperson.
Making his case in the press conference, the SSP announced the arrest of two terror suspects, Tahir alias Lamba and Mama Junaid, whom he claimed were MQM members trained by RAW.
“MQM is spreading terror in the guise of a political party and all the senior leaders of MQM, including its chief Altaf Hussain, are involved in spreading terror in the country. MQM is a terrorist organisation and it should be banned the way Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant outfits are on the basis of their terrorist activities,” SSP Anwaar argued, while alleging that members of MQM went to India through foreign countries, were trained there by RAW and then brought back to Pakistan to “spread terror” via the Indian-held Kashmir.
“We have solid evidence to prove these allegations. The two people we arrested have confessed all of this and are ashamed of their activities. There is also evidence that they have passports and other things. We recovered a large amount of explosives, hand grenades and 9mm pistols from these suspects. People who are enemies of the state are at the forefront of this political party,” he said, adding that arrested suspects will be kept in custody for 90 days and a JIT will be formed to investigate the matter.
The SSP alleged that Zulfiqar Haider and Nadeem Nusrat, the deputy convener of MQM, have been funding these terrorist activities from London.
Speaking about how these terrorists operated, Anwaar said, “They are in contact with Zulfiqar Haider, Nadeem Nusrat and Muhammad Anwar. The suspects got in touch with Waqas, who arranged money and visas in Bangkok, from where they went to the Delhi Airport. Javed Langra, Naveed, his brother, Tariq Zaidi and Sunny received them and took them to a farmhouse in Delhi and trained them in Deradun. An Indian Army official named Ram trained them. After training, they were brought back via Kashmir and entered illegally through the Lahore border.” He went on to say that these terrorist elements are provided jobs and in return they have to carry out terrorist activities.
“Under Altaf Hussain, Nadeem Nusrat and Muhammad Anwar’s orders, we went to our country’s arch-enemies and received training. Our heads are bowed with shame,” Anwaar quoted the criminals as saying.
MQM RUBBISHES CLAIMS:
Following the senior cop’s tirade, MQM called a press conference at MQM Headquarters Nine-Zero to clarify its position.
MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi denounced “baseless allegations” levelled against the party. After MQM decided to sit on opposition benches and elected its own opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, the scenario changed, said the MQM leader.
“Despite the MQM being blamed for all sorts of crimes and facing an ongoing media trial, the party managed to grab a substantial victory in NA-246 — which was termed as the biggest by-election in the history of the country. This is political drama unfolding. Who is the ultimate beneficiary in this scenario?” questioned Rizvi.
“The way people have shown their belief in MQM’s leadership and its chief Altaf Hussain is unprecedented. It was after this affirmation from Karachi’s populace decades ago that MQM decided to pursue politics to benefit the common man. For how long will this blame game continue? MQM is the country’s third-largest political entity. I don’t even want to respond to such heinous allegations,” said Rizvi.
“There is nothing new in the allegations hurled at us by a corrupt mid-level police officer. This is all repetition, not even the central figures in the story have changed over the years,” he said, citing that some 300 MQM workers were arrested in relation to Hakeem Saeed’s murder and several of them were killed during detention. “But all of them were respectfully acquitted by the country’s apex court.”
He said Rao Anwar’s allegations were reminiscent of the 1990s when the party was blamed of conspiring against Pakistan in the Jinnahpur scandal. “The Supreme Court later acquitted all our members and workers and cleared our name from the scandal.”
Rizvi said the SSP had been involved in the killing of hundreds of MQM workers. “Rao Anwaar is a corrupt police officer and the world knows about it,” he added.
The MQM leader claimed it was a lie that MQM worker Junaid was arrested on Wednesday night, saying, “Junaid was arrested on March 24, 2015, and his family had filed a petition in the Sindh High Court on March 28 in this regard.”
“Tahir alias Lamba was not arrested on Wednesday night; he was arrested on February 26, 2015, and the very next day his wife approached the Sindh High Court against his illegal detention,” he added.
THE THIRD FACTOR?
Moreover, talking during the conference, MQM leader Farooq Sattar termed the cop’s revelations a part of a propaganda against the party and its chief.
Various controversies came to fore after Sattar told reporters that a “secret” meeting was held at the Sindh chief minister’s house on Wednesday night which was attended by Sindh CM Syed Qaim Ali Shah, former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari and “one other top official”.
Rumours of military’s involvement in the meeting were in the air following Sattar’s invitation to reporters to find out about the “third person” in the meeting.
However, talking in Channel 24’s DNA talkshow, a military official rubbished the insinuation that any army official was present in the meeting.