ISLAMABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Farooq Sattar on Monday ruled out party chief Altaf Hussain’s appearance before the Supreme Court citing serious threats to his life, DawnNews reported.

The apex court on Friday had summoned the MQM chief to appear before it in person on Jan 7 and defend his statements against the judges.

Meanwhile, in an address to his party’s workers, office-bearers and legislators on the same day, Hussain had said he would respond to the contempt notice after consulting his legal advisers.

Speaking to reporters outside the parliament house today, the deputy convener of the party’s Rabita Committee said that remarks by the SC judge against the MQM’s mandate in Karachi was discriminatory, illegal and unconstitutional.

He said Altaf Hussain faces serious threats to his life in Pakistan. “We always have discouraged him (Altaf Hussain) from coming back…..we can’t take this risk,” said Farooq Sattar.

The MNA said instead of taking notice against the judge who used such terms against the mandate of a democratic party, the MQM chief was given the contempt of court notice.

The parties, who opposed Lahore High Court’s directives over Kalabagh dam, should have been given contempt of court notices also, said Sattar.

Reiterating his party’s stance on delimitation, the MQM leader said singling out Karachi will not be acceptable. “Door-to-door verification of voters should be carried out through out the country,” he added.

Criticising the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), he said voters’ verification and delimitation of constituencies was the commission’s task. “If election commission can’t take their own decisions…then it should be dissolved,” said the MQM leader.

Meanwhile, other leaders of the party had declared that hundreds of thousands of people from Karachi and other parts of the country would “appear before the apex court” on Jan 7, vowing that MQM chief Altaf Hussain ‘will never go to the Supreme Court’ to comply with a contempt notice.