The Pakistani military and civilian establishment is in no mood to forgive the ousted Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) supremo as the Pakistani Rangers crackdown across the Sindh province and mega city of Karachi continues unabated based on Pakistani media.
Since the dramatic revolt of the top brass of the party in Pakistan on August 23, a day after Mr. Hussain had incurred the wrath of the Pakistani military establishment after his address over the phone from his self-exiled home in London to a gathering of MQM workers in Karachi, the Pakistani Rangers are on a mission to uproot the ``illegal infrastructure’’ of the MQM in the country.
Media reports from Pakistan suggest that by the afternoon of Saturday five more MQM offices were razed while a total of 196 ‘sector and unit’ offices in the city of Karachi were locked up after the arrest of three suspected hit men belonging to the “MQM London secretariat” and as many women activists on Friday for allegedly attacking media houses.
All efforts by Mr. Hussain from London to limit the damage have gone in vain. His endorsement of the party top brass to shut him out of the affairs of MQM in Pakistan and an unconditional apology to the Pakistan Army Chief for his comments describing Pakistan as ``a cancer to the entire world has made no difference.
Mr. Hussain, who lives in London on self-imposed exile since 1991 has acquired British citizenship, though he didnot have any formal position in the MQM he has been the unelected King of Karachi and MQM running the day-to-day organisational affairs of the party over phone from the confines of his London residence and the international secretariat.
However, the drama centered on him has not eroded the base of MQM in Pakistan as was evident from the easy victory of its candidate Waseem Akhtar for the post of Mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar. In fact he created history by winning the election from behind the bars the very day the party top brass disowned Mr. Hussain.
Till now there is no clarity on the fate the MQM headquarters called `Nine-Zero’. The Pakistani Rangers have locked up its gates.
The MQM has voiced its protest against the demolition drive but has refrained from any street protests like in the past. The party leaders have said they would knock on the courts challenging the demolition drive.
Separately, the Pakistan government has announced that it would soon share more evidence of the MQM chief inciting violence in Pakistan with British police.
Soon after the attack on media houses in Karachi, the matter was taken up by the Pakistan Interior Minister with his UK counterpart.
The British authorities had issued a statement from 10 Downing Street, condemning the attack on media houses.
Dozens of cases of serious nature including murder were already registered against Mr. Hussain.
