LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf moved on Monday resolutions in Punjab and Sindh assemblies seeking “strong action” against MQM chief Altaf Hussain for making allegedly insulting remarks against the army and asking India and Nato to intervene and prevent bloodletting of Mohajirs in Karachi.

In Azad Kashmir, the ruling PPP submitted an identical resolution and called a joint sitting of the AJK Assembly and AJK Council on Friday to condemn the MQM supremo’s remarks.

In the resolution moved in the Punjab Assembly, opposition leader Mian Mahmoodur Rashid of the PTI called for instituting a treason case against the London-based MQM leader and urged the government to contact Inter­pol for bringing him back to the country to punish him for violating the constitution.

Also read: Resolutions submitted in Sindh, Punjab assemblies against Altaf's speech

The resolution in the Sindh Assembly was moved by PTI’s Samar Ali Khan. It urged the government to take up the issue with the UK authorities and slap a “blanket ban” on Altaf Hussan’s speeches.

Muttahida ministers in AJK to be asked to disown their leader’s remarks or quit

AJK Prime Minister Chaudhry Abdul Majeed said protest rallies would be held before the joint sitting and two MQM members in his cabinet would be given a 72-hour ultimatum to dissociate themselves from their party leader’s remarks or quit.

In his Aug 1 address to party workers in the US city of Dallas, the MQM chief urged them to hold sit-ins outside the White House and UN and Nato offices to seek deployment of Nato troops in Karachi. He also taunted India as being “a coward country for letting blood of Mohajirs spill on Pakistan’s soil”.

The remarks were immediately condemned by the government and various political parties and were seen as tantamount to waging a war against the country.

Already about 150 cases have been registered across the country for the MQM chief’s earlier anti-army speech.

A three-judge bench of the Lahore High Court was constituted last week to hear a petition seeking institution of a treason case against Mr Hussain.

In Karachi, the MQM’s Coordination Committee denied that the party chief had sought “help from India, Nato and the United Nations” and insisted that Mr Hussain’s speech was within the parameters of the constitution.

Habib Khan Ghori in Karachi and Tariq Naqqash in Muzaffarabad contributed to story.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2015

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