Published 17:43 IST, November 20th 2019
Altaf Hussain Accuses Pakistan's ISI Of Forced Disappearances, murder of lady lawyer
Altaf Hussain has accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of forced disappearances of his followers and conducting illegal searches on Muhajirs.
The founder of Mutahida Quami Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, has accused Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of forced disappearances of his followers and conducting illegal searches on Muhajirs. He claimed his efforts to get justice in Pakistan were in vain as no court would hear his plea because of the threats from ISI and Pakistan Army. He called the Pakistani province of Sindh his motherland and questioned the ban on his speeches placed by a Lahore court.
Launching a scathing attack on Pakistan establishment, Altaf Hussain said ṭhat harassing his followers has become a routine exercise for Pakistani authorities. “It has become the order of the day to conduct searches at different areas where Muhajirs are in majority in Sindh province of Pakistan like Karachi, Hyderabad, Sanghar, etc. There are so many other urban areas in Sindh. This is a daily routine to conduct searches on Muhajir houses and arrest the MQM followers and workers,” said Altaf Hussain.
Forced disappearances and no legal help
Altaf Hussain also alleged that if the army could not find the MQM leaders, they would “arrest their relatives and take them to unknown places” resulting in their disappearances. The High Court of Pakistan, he said, never heard his petition regarding cases of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances. “We would search hospitals to find our loved ones but would not find them and the military personnel would go to the court and say they did not arrest anyone from the house,” he said. The leader of Muhajirs claimed that even the Supreme Court of Pakistan did not hear his plea and thousands of petitions filed his team went unnoticed. The petitions were filed in 1994 claimed Hussain and that no action was taken till date.
Hussain alleges murder of lady lawyer by ISI
Making a sensational claim, 66-year-old Altaf Hussain, said that ISI and the military establishment had killed human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir. “There was very famous lawyer and a brave lady known as Asma Jahangir. She was the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. She took my case. She was threatened by the generals of the ISI and military establishment. And when Asma Jahangir refused to retreat, ISI poisoned her to death,” claimed Hussain.
Communication blackout
Altaf Hussain, who fled Pakistan in 1992, called himself a “genuine leader of Pakistan who never lied”. “I am the only one in Pakistan who has the courage to speak what is really true. Four years passed. They put a ban on my speeches on print media, electronic media... put a ban on telephonic addresses... put a ban on live video addresses through Facebook, through other means to address my people,” Hussain added.
Updated 19:53 IST, November 20th 2019