ISLAMABAD: Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif said in a statement that actions of Altaf Hussain have exposed his real face and he does not consider the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader, a Pakistani.
“Altaf Hussain does not fulfil the principles of nationalism, patriotism and politics. So I do not consider him a Pakistani,” the minister said speaking in a private news channel programme. “How can we consider a person as Pakistani who is on self-exile, gets extortion money from and uses resources to kill innocent people and speak against the state,” he substantiated his point.
“Why he can have any sympathy with Pakistan and why we can consider him a Pakistani.” The minister also mentioned to Altaf’s statement in India years back and said even at that time, I had stated that he had no sympathy with Pakistan. “But, the dictatorial regime of Pervez Musharraf did not take any action against him because MQM was his ethnic constituency.”
He said that the present government is taking his statements seriously and the prime minister and other government functionaries have issued categorical statements on his anti-Pakistan rhetoric. “The process has been started and we shall take it to its logic ending,” he said, anybody maintaining any contacts with Altaf shall be committing an omission.
“Anybody enjoying allegiance with Altaf will be under the shadow of doubt. Those keeping contacts with him shall be considered as his facilitators.” He said Altaf migrated to Pakistan eight years after Pakistan’s emergence and he can be called an “economic migrant” and not an “ideological migrant.”
Asif said, he had no doubt about Farooq Sattar’s patriotism but he have to review his allegiance with Altaf because anybody associated to Altaf shall have to suffer political loss. He said for the last couple of days the MQM politics is plagued by confusion and if people like Farooq Sattar had to politick in Pakistan they should have themselves to distance from Altaf. “This is a defining moment in their political career. There are patriotic people in MQM ranks but if they keep allegiance with Altaf, then the state shall have to determine their role.”
“Altaf himself proved to have connections with Indian Intelligence Agency RAW and endorsed killing of people in Pakistan through his front men,” he said. The minister said that Pakistani government has contacted British authorities and if they will not take an action against Altaf, the government will look into alternates.
He said there is no confusion in the government and within the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) ranks about Altaf and we shall definitely go for an action. “There should be no doubt about our stance on this issue.” Answering a question, he said, the statement of Altaf cannot be compared with the statement of Mahmood Achakzai. “We should not try to draw a parallel between two statements. Both are entirely different.”
He said that the government had no threats from Imran-Qadri protests because our party still enjoys masses confidence as manifested in Local government, Cantonments, AJK and GB elections. “Imran and Qadri will rather damage their own popularity. Why we should feel threat from a person who could neither give people a plan for progress nor he control corruption and lawlessness in KP province.”
He ruled out any role of any umpire and stated that Imran and Qadri are talking of 1990s politics. But, in present age there is no such possibility. Answering a question about offer to General Raheel Sharif, he said the office of the chief of the staff enjoys respects among the people and nobody should speculate about this office.
“This office enjoys respect and discipline. Our forces are rendering sacrifices for the defence of motherland and anybody speculating about them is making a mistake,” he said. The minister categorically stated there are no differences between the political and military leadership in the country.
When asked to comment on a statement of Indian Defence about terming Pakistan as `hell,’ the minister said, not Pakistan but India can be termed as `hell’ where there are four categories among followers of the same God.
“Only that country can be called as `hell’ where innocent people are killed and burnt alive and where more than a dozen states are witnessing separation movements. If India could have been a heaven then why seven separate states could have emerged out of one country,” he said.
He said the statement of Indian Defence Minister was given a matching response because no Pakistani can tolerate any indecent remark against its motherland.
