KARACHI: While leaders of all political, nationalist and religious parties, as well as social and other organisations, on Tuesday continued to condemn anti-Pakistan slogans raised during Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain’s address to his supporters over phone a day earlier, most of them rejected the announcement made by his senior aide, Dr Farooq Sattar, that the local leadership had decided to part ways with the London-based high command.

Dr Sattar, until now the party’s deputy convener, announced the decision on Tuesday afternoon at a crowded press conference, where many MQM lawmakers and senior activists were present.

Hundreds more statements issued by political and other leaders rejecting the anti-Pakistan slogans as “unacceptable” and “intolerable” poured in on Tuesday. The leaders also strongly condemned the mob attack on a private TV channel’s offices by MQM activists minutes after their leader’s speech.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s statement said: “The PPP believes in freedom of expression. It, along with the journalist community, worked together for long and rendered great sacrifices for this democratic right.” He termed the Monday attacks on media offices and personnel in Karachi “a condemnable act”, and expressed solidarity with the journalist community and other media personnel. “An independent media guarantees a strong democracy and a strong democracy can curb terrorism,” he said. “We condemn any attack on press freedom, be it by a political party, a religious group or the state itself,” he added.

Pakistan Sunni Tehrik leaders Maulana Noor Ahmed Qasmi, Khalid Hassan Attari, Ali Nawaz Qasmi and others insisted that the MQM. must be banned and sedition cases registered against all those who had raised the anti-Pakistan slogans. They accused Altaf Hussain of being a RAW (Indian intelligence agency the Research and Analysis Wing) agent who was out to destabilise Pakistan.

They also termed Dr Sattar’s Tuesday press conference “a pack of lies” and said that those who had been involved in bloodshed in the past now wanted to enter Karachi through backdoor and leave its people at the mercy of the agent again.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani and Milli Yakjehti Council president Dr Sahibzada Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair said that MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s RAW links fully exposed when he raised the anti-Pakistan slogans.

He said that the entire nation condemned he speech with one voice and demanded appropriate action against him and his party. He poured scorn on the MQM leader for instigating attacks on a TV channel’s offices and media personnel belonging to various other organisations.

He said his party was planning holding of rallies and demonstrations in Sindh and other parts of the country for the integrity and solidarity of Pakistan.

Sindh Taraqqi-pasand Party (STP) chairman Dr Qadir Magsi said that by attacking innocent people and the media in Karachi, the MQM tried to repeated the “May 12 [2007]” episode to spread terror. “It shows that Altaf Hussain wants to appease India and sabotage the Kashmir struggle,” he observed.

Dr Magsi repeated his party’s long-standing demand of disbanding the MQM.

Sindh National Tehreek chairman Ashraf Noonari termed Dr Sattar’s press conference “a drama” and argued that the MQM was not only facing the charges of anti-Pakistan slogans, but also killing of thousands of people.

“The minus-one formula cannot cleanse the MQM, which is involved in the May 12, April 9, Timber Market, Baldia factory inferno, Hakeem Said, Major Kaleem and many other infamous cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, various organisations of journalists, photo-journalists and electronic media workers held protest demonstrations in Hyderabad, Sukkur and other cities to condemn the Monday attack.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists vice president Hameedur Rehman, Hyderabad Union of Journalists president Hamid Shaikh and Hyderabad Press Club president Waseem Khan led a demonstration outside the local press club to register their protest. They demanded stern action against all those involved in the attack.

In Sukkur, media workers and various political and social organisations held separate demonstrations to condemn Altaf Hussain’s vitriolic speech that led to the attacks.

Jan Mohammed Mahar, Mumtaz Bokhari, Lala Asad Pathan, and others led a demonstration held outside the local press club to condemn the attack.

They demanded foolproof security for media houses and their workers, and urged the government to ensure freedom of expression.

They also demanded a ban on the MQM and arrest of its leaders.

The Shehri Ittehad of Sukkur also held a demonstration against the MQM at the Clock Tower roundabout. It was led by Maulana Haq Nawaz Brohi, Shaban Shaikh, Maulana Noorullah Noor and others, who called for disbanding the party.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activists Rab Nawaz Kalwar, Ayub Farooqi, Nusrat Jeelani and Abdul Rab Hashmi filed a petition through Advocate Zulfiqar Channa in the district and sessions court of Sukkur against MQM leader Altaf Hussain on Tuesday.

The court fixed the hearing for Aug 26.

Rallies and demonstrations were also held by media workers in Mithi, Islamkot, Chhachhro and Nagarparkar in Tharparkar district and Badin, Matli, Tando Bago, Pangrio, Golarchi, Kadhan, Kario Ghanwar, Rajo Khanani, Tando Ghulam Ali, Talhar, Khoski, Shadi Large in Badin district to condemn the attacks on the media in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2016