KARACHI: London police filed no charges against Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain, but told him to appear before investigators again next month, the MQM said on Saturday.

Mr Hussain, who was arrested by the British authorities on suspicions of money laundering on June 3, was released from police custody on bail after a nine-hour-long interrogation late on Friday night.

Soon after the release, Altaf Hussain told his followers in a speech from the party’s secretariat in London he respected the British judicial system and was confident that he would get justice.

As soon as reports of his bail flashed across television screens at about 2.30am on Saturday (Pakistan time), MQM workers and supporters staging a sit-in at Karachi’s Numaish intersection started chanting slogans in favour of their head. And there was widespread jubilation when MQM leaders informed them that Mr Hussain was on his way to the secretariat after getting bail and he would soon address them.

The whole area echoed with the sound of clapping and slogans when Mr Hussain started his speech, which was relayed from London to Karachi and 14 other cities across the country where MQM workers and supporters were staging sit-ins.

Despite spending three days at a hospital, where he underwent tests and angiography, and then almost a day in police custody, Mr Hussain appeared calm and composed. His followers present in the MQM’s London office and in the Karachi sit-in burst into laughter when he said in a lighter vein that while other leaders had only seen Pakistani jails and lock-up, he had faced the British police and lock-up as well.

The MQM said in a statement that “as the leader of a democratically elected party, Mr Hussain understands that this ongoing investigation is part of due process and completely normal...in a democratic country”.

The MQM chief made it clear in his speech that he respected the British law and hoped that he would get justice.

“My case is in a British court. My lawyers are studying the case in accordance with British laws and truth will prevail by the grace of Allah,” he added.

He thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, other political and religious leaders, businessmen, traders, artists, scholars, ulema, etc., for extending their support, expressing solidarity with him and condemning his arrest.

He was full of praise for the MQM workers and sympathisers for staging peaceful protests across the country for him. He asked them to end all sit-ins across the country, including Karachi.

He also announced reinstatement of all the suspended leaders and workers on their previous responsibilities.

He said that he had never compromised on his principled stand and would rather sacrifice his life instead of bowing down before what he called repressive forces.

He thanked officers of the Scotland Yard and London Metropolitan Police for their care and providing him with the best medical treatment and facilities.

He also expressed grief over the killing of troops in some recent terrorist attacks, and offered the Pakistan Army 300,000 MQM volunteers to fight alongside them against terrorists.

Meanwhile, the MQM said in a statement that Mr Hussain had been released from police custody and has returned to his North London residence.

It said that while these inquiries continued, Mr Hussain called for calm from “our millions of party members and supporters in Pakistan and across the world”.

“We look forward to continuing cooperation with the British authorities when this matter is resolved,” it concluded.

The participants of the sit-in distributed sweets and danced to the tunes of MQM songs to celebrate what they called the victory of truth. Later, they ended the sit-ins that continued for more than four days on the Numaish traffic intersection.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2014