- Former MQM Rabita Committee member says he was ‘waiting for the day when the locks on people’s tongues would break and they would speak openly’
- Says he wishes a long life for Altaf ‘so he can see the ground crumbling beneath his feet’
- Mustafa Kamal denies support from ‘certain quarters’ as Anis Kaimkhani pleads amnesty for ‘misled’ Mohajir youth
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) dissident and former Karachi nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal’s ‘new party’ grew to seven members on Monday when former MQM Rabita Committee member Anis Ahmed Khan Advocate joined Kamal’s movement.
Anis Ahmed, who served as a member of the MQM’s Rabita Committee between 2003 and 2012, was sacked from his party post over ‘violation of organisational discipline’. Anis, who said he served with Altaf for 32 years, claimed to have left Pakistan in 1998. After leaving the MQM, he said he spent his time traveling and resting.
“I mentally joined this group three years ago,” he said, adding he was waiting for the day “when the locks on people’s tongues would break and they would speak openly”.
“I left the MQM on May 19, 2013. I was among those who believed the wrong thing was happening… The international secretariat can attest to this. I said, ‘This is the final nail in the coffin. You have ruined your party’,” Anis said.
Wishing MQM Chairman Altaf Hussain well, he said: “I wish for Altaf to live a long life and see with his own eyes that the ground is crumbling beneath his feet,” he said.
The former Rabita Committee member’s words echo the sentiments of former MQM heavyweight Raza Haroon, who in an earlier press conference slammed Altaf, saying the MQM chief was reason enough for party members to jump ship.
Haroon had said that whenever a dissident left the party, “they [the MQM] claim it is a conspiracy against them. No conspiracy is needed. You [Altaf] are more than enough.”
‘Fighting their own army’:
Altaf should come before his workers, party members and “those who have sacrificed everything for him, who left their families for him, and who put everything on the line for him,” he said.
“They fought the army, not caring they were fighting with their own army because this man had called on them.”
“We have fixed your shoes, wiped your tears, even wiped the sweat from your face,” Anis said. “We stood before you to protect you, but in return, what have you done for this nation?” he asked, addressing the MQM chief.
“There is no one to wipe your tears now. The same Anis advocate who at 3am responded to your call without a thought for his own safety is trying to help you understand that there is still time to fix this situation,” he said.
“Let the Mohajir community decide for themselves who is good and bad. You are not fit to lead the Mohajir community anymore. You don’t have that right anymore. You are not worthy anymore because you brought them to this point,” he said, addressing Altaf.
“You used to look like a hero in your Raybans. You staunched the bleeding wound of this community,” he said, adding Altaf had broken the trust of the community that looked up to him.
“You will have to speak the truth before the nation. If you have any courage, address a gathering of your workers and tell them the truth,” he said. “Maybe they will pray for your soul.”
Anis pleaded with Altaf to ‘forget his courtiers’ and come back to Pakistan. “These courtiers are circling, waiting for your death,” he said.
He said the MQM chief would call them morning and night asking them to talk to him, be his friend and listen to his problems. “I have stayed with him for 32 years… We have forgiven how we were treated, but own up to what you have done with the community,” he said.
“I wasn’t beaten up on May 19,” he said, responding to a reporter’s question. “The people who were beaten up are Tweeting today,” he said.
‘Forgive Karachi’s youth’:
Anis Kaimkhani, while referring to workers who were being arrested and killed, urged the Pakistani government to “have mercy on these youth”.
“Forgive them the way you have forgiven the children of Balochistan and FATA… Give them some kind of system that allows them to go back home,” Kaimkhani said.
Mustafa Kamal, while not specifically denying support from ‘certain quarters’, asked reporters whether anyone would be able to sit at MQM headquarters Nine Zero for the party’s Foundation Day celebrations this year “if the new party was establishment born”.
Anis’ decision to join Kamal’s party comes weeks after the former Karachi mayor unleashed a salvo of bombastic ‘revelations’ against Altaf Hussain, accusing him of deception, addressing workers while intoxicated and poor running of the party.
MQM has denied all allegations as part of the ‘minus-Altaf formula’ and has alleged that workers are being forced to ‘change loyalties’.
Kamal’s party has said it will hold a massive rally in Karachi in April. The group is expected to name their party on March 23.
Besides the addition of MQM heavyweight Raza Haroon, Kamal has managed to rope former MQM members Anis Kaimkhani, Dr Sagheer, Iftikhar Alam and Waseem Aftab into his party.
Speculation is rife as to why a number of senior MQM members left the country suddenly around the time Kamal returned to Karachi. Haider Abbas Rizvi, Faisal Sabzwari, Khushkbakht Shujaat and Khwaja Izharul Hassan are among those who left the country recently.
Certain party members left before Kamal’s visit to Karachi, but uncertainty regarding the reasons for the absence of other party members remains.
Read More: Key leaders of MQM flee out of country as Mustafa Kamal gets stronger