AZAD KASHMIR: In a fiery speech at a rally on Wednesday, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan took a jab at Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, provoking strong condemnation from MQM’s Rabita Committee.

“Altaf Hussain’s time is up,” said Khan. “It is time the people of Karachi stop living in fear.”

The PTI chief went on to say that 2015 would be the year of election in Pakistan. He said PTI would hold its next rally in Karachi to defeat MQM and Altaf Hussain.

Imran Khan suffering from ‘Altaf phobia’

Reacting to Imran Khan’s statements, MQM leader Farooq Sattar said the PTI chief was suffering from “Altaf phobia.”

Terming Imran Khan’s statements a “threat,” Sattar said “only time will tell whose time is up.”

Farooq Sattar said Imran Khan was responsible for the ongoing situation in Karachi. “Imran Khan should stop insulting the people of Karachi and dreaming of taking over the city; the people of Karachi will defeat him.”

Sattar went on to say that the PTI serves as a political wing for the Taliban. Imran Khan wants to introduce a “Lal Masjid-like” system in Karachi, said Sattar.

Meanwhile, an official statement from MQM’s Rabita Committee also strongly condemned Khan’s statements, saying they were akin to a “threat.”

MQM, PTI at loggerheads

Both parties have been lashing out at each other since the 2013 general election in Pakistan.

Just a day after the May 11 polls in 2013, PTI held a protest gathering at Teen Talwar in Karachi's Clifton area, against what was described as "massive rigging" in the elections, especially Karachi's NA-250.

In a telephonic speech that night, Altaf Hussain had expressed his discontentment over the protest and retaliated against allegations of rigging by the PTI.

A week later, PTI's Zahra Shahid was shot dead outside her home in DHA, Karachi. PTI chief Imran Khan at the time openly held Altaf Hussain responsible for the killing.

PTI's Shireen Mazari had also declared the incident an act of terror and a mark of failure on part of the provincial government. She said Imran Khan had requested the government to take action against Altaf Hussain for issuing threatening and provocative statements to incite violence in the country, but the government did not take any action.

Responding to the allegation, the MQM said Imran Khan had hurled the accusation against it before investigation into the incident and announced it would hold demonstrations across the world against the PTI.