KARACHI: Mukka Chowk with the symbolic golden fist attributed to the first prime minister of Pakistan Liaquat Ali Khan’s furious gesture towards India, and which over the years people saw as Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s symbol of strength located in the centre of their stronghold Azizabad, was on Thursday found mysteriously stripped off all the posters and pictures of the party founder Altaf Hussain. Later, in the evening it was also suggested that the monument would be renamed Shaheed-i-Millat Liaquat Ali Khan Chowk.

The inverted funnel like monument in Azizabad still had the remains of some Altaf Hussain poster edges stubbornly sticking to its black marble walls. Only on one side, there was a plaque dating to the time of its founding on Aug 14, 2009, while on another one locked eyes with Altaf Hussain’s bespectacled eyes left to question and wonder what happened to his nose, cheeks and mouth, which were all gone with the rest of him. Meanwhile the torn-up posters were strewn all around the roundabout.

A few bystanders watched in awe. “We came here as soon as we saw what happened on television. None of us can even dream of doing such a thing. We are sure that the ‘agencies’ are behind this,” said Amjad Ali standing with his mouth agape with three friends on one side of the crossroads.

“God knows when this happened. There were Rangers patrolling the place earlier. And no one stopped whoever did this, which is strange. Try doing this with the Bhutto family pictures near Bilawal House and then see what happens. But no one even seems interested in looking for the culprits here, which is sad,” he said.

“We know that whoever is behind this action wanted to show the anti-sentiment of the residents of the area. But however embarrassed we may be at Altaf Hussain’s outbursts, we cannot bring ourselves to do such a thing as remove his posters. Because the Urdu-speaking people are still facing the same issues in their lives that became the reason for founding the MQM,” he said.

Another elderly man crossing the road shrugged when asked if he had seen anyone removing the pictures from the monument. “No,” he said. “Whoever did this obviously got away with it. And it is fine, too, because even Altaf Hussain once said that this was Liaquat Ali Khan’s fist. I don’t know when some ignorant fools started attributing it to Altaf Hussain instead of the first prime minister of Pakistan, who gave up all his property to come to Pakistan in 1947. Liaquat Ali Khan’s story is also the story of every Muhajir here whose ancestors sacrificed all they had to come here and make Pakistan their home, Pakistan Zindabad!”

Bagh-i-Afza neglected

Nearby around Bagh-i-Afza, a park named after Altaf Hussain’s only child Afza Altaf, there were piles of garbage being thrown there by the residents of the area for some time now around its broken grills. “The rubbish here has not been cleared for over two years now,” said a scavenger looking for paper and cardboard in the heaps.

“If these cared so much for Altaf Hussain they could have at least cleaned around this park named after his daughter,” said the smiling Pakhtun scavenger.

Turning to the lane leading to Nine-Zero, all vehicles that did not belong to area residents were politely told to turn around and head in the opposite direction. “We have orders to not let anyone pass through,” said one of the Rangers officials guarding the area.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2016