MQM covering up internal rifts & activist’s confessions, says Patel

Published January 30, 2015
Karachi division president of the PPP Abdul Qadir Patel speaks at a press conference at the party’s media cell on Thursday. —Online
Karachi division president of the PPP Abdul Qadir Patel speaks at a press conference at the party’s media cell on Thursday. —Online

KARACHI: Karachi division president of the Pakistan Peoples Party Abdul Qadir Patel has termed the allegation levelled by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement maligning PPP’s district east president Shaikh Saeed Chaowla in the murder of MQM worker Sohail Ahmed ‘very unfortunate’ and ‘condemnable’.

Regretting over the politics of allegations being adopted by the MQM, he said the allegations against Chaowla for exchange of bitter words was untrue, because no such incident had taken place.

Mr Patel, who was accompanied by Senator Saeed Ghani, Sindh Minister for Katchi Abadis Jawaid Nagori, Sindh Chief Minister’s Adviser Waqar Mehdi, Mr Chaowla and others, made it clear that the open court in which the MQM accused Mr Chaowla of having exchanged bitter words was organised by the civil administration. He said Mr Chaowla was there to represent the PPP as others did for their selective parties.

He said the aggrieved family had lodged an FIR on Dec 16, 2014 at the Ferozabad police station. Till Jan 27, 2015 — the day of Ahmed’s murder — Mr Chaowla’s name had not been mentioned in the FIR and discussions.

Deploring the opposition party approach, the PPP leader said it was very unfortunate that the MQM had always demanded army take over and martial law but blamed police for being biased against it and the Inter-Services Intelligence for the May 12 mayhem.

The ongoing targeted operation in Karachi was the federal government’s plan and was finalised at Governor House in which all political and religious parties had agreed to give a free hand to the law enforcers, recalled the PPP leader.

He asked the MQM to give names and addresses of their missing workers instead of making such a hue and cry every now and then.

In fact the allegations against the PPP government was an attempt to divert public attention from internal rifts within the MQM and the recent confession of an MQM activist to high-profile targeted killings, said the PPP leader.

Mr Patel said traders and transporters were reluctant to keep their businesses open amid fear of a severe reaction from the MQM afterwards.

Earlier, the party had tried to malign Senator Ghani in the killing of MQM workers in Chanesar Goth, said Mr Patel, adding that media could easily contact any political or religious party in Karachi to know about the killers of MQM workers and leaders. “Sadly all would point at a particular political party’s unidentified militants,” he said.

Mr Chaowla said he would cooperate with law enforcers and was ready to appear before any commission to help investigators reach point of justice with regard to the murder.

He appealed to the MQM to review it policy towards the PPP and the Sindh government.

In reply to a question, Mr Patel said: “How could the chief minister while fearing any misbehavior could come out when a huge angry mob was at the gate of CM House? He said the PPP also had some complaints against the targeted operation but the party never reacted in such a hostile manner because all the parties had agreed to give a free hand to the law enforcers to purge the city of criminal elements.

The MQM, which was facing an internal breakdown, was just attempting to divert media attention by such protests, he said, recalling that the party lawmakers in the assembly session even surrounded the “CM desk” which was deplorable.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2015

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