Summary First senior MQM member to show mirror to MQM's founder
Dunya News Report (Shahzad Badar)
After witnessing apologies flowing sequentially first from the PPP and later by the MQM leader Altaf Hussain, Mustafa Kamal’s revelations can be seen as a precursor to the long awaited political coup de grace to be launched by the Rangers against the political stalwarts controlling Karachi and Sindh.
The Rangers are tightening the noose around political personalities and preparing the ground to shake and change the political status quo thanks to the special interest taken by the army chief to restore peace in Karachi.
Kamal’s return to Karachi and his conference is a prelude to the Rangers operation metamorphosing into “socio-political engineering” being planned to bring about a political change in the urban region of Sindh. The army had previously indulged in socio-political engineering in Karachi resulting in the birth of MQM Haqiqi and considerable bloodshed in Karachi in the 90’s but could not bring peace or any other desirable change in the urban politics.
With political terrorism, turf wars and crime plaguing the urban areas and civic infrastructure deteriorating to such an extent that life in most parts of the mega city fell to a miserable sub-human level, a mega intervention to burst the nexus of terrorism and politics had become sine qua none for the survival of the state. Sewerage, urban filth, diseases, target killings and extortions continued to plague the city for decades while its leaders made money and invested billions into foreign banks.
The PPP and MQM failed miserably to usher any positive change in the provincial environment while battling each other and winning the election matches. Democracy in Sindh failed because the main purpose of those playing democracy was making money and not people welfare. While disease and malnutrition ravaged rural sindh the urban region suffered from terrorism, bhatta collections etc -the federal government watched calmly making sure not to upset the political status quo until the army decided to put its foot down and challenge the criminal gangs and political thugs.
Considerable improvement in the law and order situation in Karachi and the Rangers determination to crush the Karachi gangs must have prompted the former Mayor of Karachi to return and spill the beans, launching a vitriolic attack on his former god father Altaf Hussain. The credit for Mustafa’s rise to the position of Karachi mayor goes to his former bhai Altaf Hussain, whom he accused of getting money from the Indian intelligence RAW.
Mustafa Kamal’s revelations though not new or unheard off did create mild tremors in the MQM structure creating doubts in the minds of its followers but without any visible Tsumani’s. It seems that the establishment has refined its old strategy of pulling away party members – so far the MQM structure appears intact and united.
The MQM had previously faced similar attacks which were thoroughly backed and supported by the establishment but it failed to reduce the political strength of the MQM or remove Altaf Hussain from the political equation. Farook Sattar was quick to refute the allegations leveled by Mustafa Kamal.
Allegations revealing connivance of the Rehman Malik, former Interior minister and close friend of former President Asif Zardari in concealing the MQM RAW connection and pressurizing the UK government to go easy on Altaf Hussain would surely open a Pandora’s box.
Kamal perhaps is the first senior MQM member to show a mirror to MQM’s founder and leader and tell the public how embarrassing the situation becomes for the top leaders after Altaf’s idiosyncratic speeches in which he keeps offending people and later apologizes for his blunders.
The eight years Musharraf- MQM relations despite the alleged RAW financial contribution to the MQM needs to be investigated and clarified.
Kamal’s speech has certainly stirred a wish of change in Karachi and perhaps would help MQM revamp its command structure and enable Altaf Hussain to realize his mistakes.
The MQM bowing down and eager to have an amnesty announced for some of its workers is a good sign that the party wants to repent and be part of the political main stream. Eliminating corruption and terrorism in Sindh without a political rapprochement with the MQM and other parties would not ensure lasting peace. Mustafa’s new political party would enrich the political landscape and provide a new alternative to the people of Karachi. END
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