Summary Haider Abbas Rizvi condemned Baldia Town incident, said propaganda was being done against MQM
KARACHI: (Dunya News) – Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has denied charges laid on it by Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) report regarding Baldia Town incident. MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that fake propaganda was being carried out against MQM to malign the party.
Holding a press conference in Karachi on Sunday along with senior MQM leaders, Haider Abbas Rizvi said that several JITs had been formed in the past and court had refused to accept charges laid by many of them. “MQM was alleged of working on an alleged ‘Jinnahpur Conspiracy’ in the past. The allegation was false but it took MQM 17 years to get its name cleared”, said Rizvi.
Rizvi said that no JIT was ever formed when Jamaat Islami (JI) leaders were alleged of being involved in terrorist activities. He said that MQM condemned the Baldia Town incident but the campaign by ‘some channels’ clearly intended to malign the party.
Lashing out at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, Haider Abbas Rizvi said that several cases against Imran were pending in anti-terror courts. He said that Imran Khan tweeted against MQM. Imran Khan had said that he was shocked to know about the tragedy.
JIT Report: Shocking to see such inhuman callousness by extortionist mafia which set fire to Baldia Town factory killing over 258 workers.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 7, 2015
Our ruling elite has complete disregard for lives of ordinary citizens. There must be an end to mafia politics & armed wings of pol parties.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) February 7, 2015
Speaking on this occasion, senior MQM leader Dr. Farooq Sattar said that JIT had no legal value and could not be presented as evidence in any court of law. He said that JIT made ‘hearsay’ things part of its report. He said that he had never seen such a baseless report in his life. “A two-year old JIT report has been produced just to malign MQM”, he added.
Farooq Sattar said that report was based on the statements of a person who had nothing to do with the incident. He said that the JIT was incomplete and the opponents were using it for MQM’s media trial.
“Now we are hearing that the respectable judges have made the JIT report a part of the court proceedings. We have decided to challenge this report before the same bench”, he said.
MQM leader said that the “timing of the report is self-explanatory”. “Senate elections are about to take place. MQM’s ‘national character’ has come to the fore as it has taken a firm stance against terrorism. This report surfacing at such a time has many messages hidden in it”, said Sattar.
Dr. Farooq Sattar said that MQM and its leader Altaf Hussain have always stood by the truth and preached non-violence. “We condemn the Baldia Town incident in harshest of words. And if it gets proven that MQM had some role, at any level, to play in it then it won’t become a hurdle in the course of the law”, he concluded.
It is pertinent to mention here that the JIT had presented its report before the court on February 6 and the bench had made the report a part of the proceedings.
