May 19, 2007	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 02, 1428

KARACHI, May 18: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain has said he never asked his followers to hurt people. His only crime is that he is not a feudal lord, nor a capitalist.

He has accused the opposition parties of “hatching a conspiracy that led to the killing of innocent people, including 13 MQM workers, on May 12 in Karachi.

The MQM leader has written an open letter to the people of Pakistan “disclosing facts behind the tragedy of May 12”.

In the letter, released to the media on Friday, Mr Hussain questioned the absence of central leaders of opposition parties in Karachi to welcome the Chief Justice of Pakistan upon his arrival.

“Why were the prominent leaders of more than 50 opposition parties not present in Karachi on May 12 and why, despite making tall claims, they did not arrive in Karachi?”

On May 7, he said, the MQM announced that a rally would be held on May 12 for independence of the judiciary and against politicising the issue of the CJP. He said that MQM started preparations for the rally and took out a number of small to medium rallies in the metropolis to mobilise people for its big rally on May 12.

“Did you see any other rally of a political or religious party apart from the MQM’s? Up until 11:30am (on May 12) did you see any opposition political or religious party leader or workers in any area of Karachi on trucks or buses, as they used to gather outside the Supreme Court at the time of the CJP’s arrival for hearing?”

Mr Hussain wrote that the “conspiring elements” under the cover of the May 12 events were targeting the party offices in the suburbs of Karachi, interior of Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and the NWFP. “Hundreds of Urdu-speaking families from the suburbs of Karachi have been forced to leave their homes and those who were attacking are roaming unchecked.”

He said all opposition parties were unanimously holding the MQM responsible for the May 12 tragedy. “If MQM had planned to create unrest or disorder then why did hundreds and thousands of MQM workers and supporters participate in the rally along with their mothers, sisters, sons, daughters and other family members.”