QUETTA: The government of Balochistan has demanded that the federal government take action against Muttahida Qaumi Move­ment (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain under Article 6 of the Constitution for his provocative speech against Pakistan and its institutions along with provoking party workers to attack media houses in Karachi.

The provincial government’s spokesman Anwarul Haq Kakar said this while speaking at a press conference on Tuesday.

He condemned the provocative speech made by the MQM chief and said that nobody should be allowed to speak against Pakistan or its national institutions. “The derogatory and filthy language Altaf Hussain used against Pakistan and the armed forces cannot be tolerated at any cost,” he said, adding that he also condemned the incident on behalf of the chief minister of Balochistan, Nawab Sanaullah Zehri.

The spokesman claimed that it was the right time for the Urdu-speaking community to get rid of Altaf Hussain as he was not “quite right in the head” and was unable to run the party’s affairs.

“Altaf Hussain is not mentally stable to fulfil the responsibilities of a political party,” he said.

“The entire nation, including the Urdu-speaking community, dislike Altaf Hussain for using bizarre language against our homeland,” he added. According to the spokesman, the Indian prime minister had asked his “agents” to use derogatory and bizarre language against Pakistan after the United Nations condemned brutal violence of Indian forces in India-held Kashmir.

He said that Altaf Hussain was not in his senses whenever he made such remarks. “I appeal to the Urdu-speaking community and request them to express feelings against Altaf Hussain,” he said, adding that the people of Karachi were educated and should not let the MQM chief exploit them by using the “Urdu-speaking card”.

The spokesman claimed that Chief Minister Zehri was furious with Altaf’s speech. He added that the MQM chief should understand that no one could destabilise the country using these tactics or others.

Mr Kakar said these statements regarding Pakistan were meant to divert attention from the Kashmir issue. “We will continue to raise our voices against the injustices done to the people of Kashmir,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2016