HYDERABAD: A clash between Muttahida Qaumi Movement workers and dissidents who joined the Pak Sarzameen Party was averted on Thursday when police intervened to pacify the charged activists who chanted slogans in favour of their respective leadership just before the formal opening of the first PSP office in Hyderabad.

The situation turned serious at around 5.30pm when MQM activists on their way to a party rally showed shoes to Mustafa Kamal’s supporters and raised pro-Altaf slogans. Not to be outdone, Kamal’s sympathisers chanted pro-Kamal slogans.

The MQM dissidents and leaders of the Pak Sarzameen Party, Mustafa Kamal and Anis Kaimkhani, later formally launched their party in the city of Hyderabad by establishing their first party office in a residential area of Latifabad unit-6. The office is established in a house owned by the late Naeem Arain who was associated with the MQM and died in London last year.

Addressing the welcome reception outside the office, Mr Kamal requested the media to ask the MQM leadership, which he said was busy branding him and his associates as products of the establishment, as to whom Altaf Hussain paid money in 2013 to put him in touch with former ISI chief Gen Zaheerul Islam Abbasi.

PSP opens office in Hyderabad

“I know the cheater [the middleman] and the amount. This is half truth and if MQM leaders condemn my statement upon being asked by any anchorperson, then I will disclose the whole truth,” said Mr Kamal, while reminding his supporters that he would keep speaking the truth as long as the MQM kept lying.

Advocate Anis Ahmed Khan, Raza Haroon and Wasim Aftab were present at the reception which was attended by former MQM diehards, some sector and unit activists.

Mr Kaimkhani, who hails from Hyderabad’s Hali Road area, spoke only a few words before inviting Mr Kamal to deliver his speech. “This city belongs to Pakistan,” said Mr Kaimkhani.

Mr Kamal was received by the crowd comprising men, women and youths waving the national flag.

“You [supporters] must respect political opponents,” said the PSP leader while urging party workers to attend a public meeting, scheduled for April 24, on their own to “see a new dawn on April 25”.

He said that God wants to entrust him and his supporters some bigger responsibility.

He made it clear that he would embark upon a journey where throats are not silt and people should not have to beg a real estate tycoon to build a university. He criticised Altaf Hussain for seeking financial assistance from the real estate tycoon to build the university and yet naming it after himself to take credit. “The era of jugglery of words has come to an end,” he said.

He added that the Rangers didn’t forgive party workers after Altaf Hussain apologised for being harshly critical of law enforcers.

Mr Kamal said that civic infrastructure could be built within six weeks but bonding among people was more essential than it. “There are boundaries [in the city] which we need to do away with,” he said.

Meanwhile, MQM activists took out rallies from 16 different parts of the city and converged at the press club to express solidarity with their leadership.

Addressing charged participants, MQM coordination committee member Iqbal Muqaddam while alluding to Mustafa Kamal and other MQM dissidents said they had forgotten the martyrs of the Hyderabad carnage (Sept 30, 1988).

He said they used to show loyalty to MQM chief Altaf Hussain and they were incapable of applying the “minus-one formula”. They were brought by someone yet they couldn’t separate Altaf Hussain and his party workers.

Lawmaker Abdul Haseeb said the people of Hyderabad proved they didn’t need artificial or fake leadership, as they were with Mr Hussain. “They [dissidents] bargained over principles, blood of martyrs and missing party workers,” he said.

Acting zonal in charge Zafar Khan, MPAs Zubair Ahmed Khan, Sabir Qaimkhani, Rana Ansar, Ayesha Aftab and others including joint zonal in charges Abid Ghauri and Rashid Mumtaz, Zafar Rajput, Umer Qureshi, Rizwana Aslam and others also spoke.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2016