The way out for the two sides

MQM and the ubiquitous establishment

Altaf Hussain resorted to irresponsible innuendo while commenting on the Rangers’ raid on Nine Zero. The Rangers have consequently got a case registered against the MQM chief. Meanwhile Asif Ali Zardari has vowed not to leave the MQM alone in these “times of trouble”. While the Interior Minister has handed over a copy of the FIR to the British High Commissioner, not all the PML-N is willing to support the case. In the presence of a long history of Byzantine conspiracies and intrigues in the country, the Rangers’ FIR looks suspicious.

There is a widespread perception in the country about the MQM using violent means to promote its political agenda. Those who have charge-sheeted the party on these issues in the past include the PPP, PLM-N, various other political parties and the army. This is one part of the picture.

The MQM has contested every election since 1988. It has been a coalition partner of the PPP and PML-N and was embraced by military ruler Pervez Musharraf. The party still enjoys the support of the vast majority of voters in urban Sindh. This is the other part of the picture.

What is at stake is the credibility of the MQM as well as of the non-political establishment. Altaf Hussain needs to take visible and credible measures to cleanse the party of criminals in its ranks. It simply won’t do agreeing to action against them if found guilty. Unless the MQM does so the negative perceptions about the party would continue to prevail outside urban Sindh. Altaf Hussain has to apologise for his remarks. The establishment on its part must not be seen to be indulging in political engineering of the sort it is known for. Attempts to create a split in the MQM or to pursue a ‘minus Altaf Hussain’ agenda will backfire as programmes of the sort did in the past. What is more, these are likely to array the major political parties against the non-political establishment.