ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) rejected on Friday allegations levelled by former Karachi nazim Mustafa Kamal that former interior minister Rehman Malik used to have secret meetings with Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain in London.

Without naming Mr Kamal, PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said: “The PPP rejects reports quoting some dissident MQM members that Senator Rehman Malik had been meeting clandestinely with MQM chief Altaf Hussain in London.”

He said whenever necessary Senator Malik used to meet Mr Hussain and such meetings were held with the approval of the PPP leadership.

“There is no truth in the assertions that Rehman Malik had been meeting the MQM chief secretly or without the knowledge and approval of the party leadership,” he said.

Masood Haider in New York adds: Mr Malik himself ‘categorically’ denied information about Indian intelligence agency RAW funding the MQM chief as alleged by Mr Kamal.

He told reporters in his New York hotel before leaving for London on Thursday that legal action would be taken against Mr Kamal if in fact he had levelled such allegations against him.

Mr Malik said: “I held meetings with MQM leadership only after approval of Co-Chairperson PPP Asif Ali Zardari” and minutes of the meetings were still “with us”.

He said MQM leaders had never discussed internal party matters with him and RAW was never discussed in his presence. He added that Mustafa Kamal himself was the closest to Mr Hussain and perhaps knew about those things more than him.

He speculated that Kamal had invoked his name in the matter to give the launch of his party a boost — tarka — as he put it.

Mr Malik, however, stated that Kamal was closest to Mr Hussain at one point in time and was in the know as to where the funding came from.

The former nazim announced on Thursday parting ways with Mr Hussain, holding him responsible for the current troubles of Urdu-speaking community and accused him of working for RAW to destabilise Pakistan.

Zardari not well — no press conference

When asked about former president Asif Zardari’s health and his cancelled press conference, Mr Malik said Mr Zardari was unwell and had three stents placed to open his arteries. Doctors have advised him to rest.

Mr Zardari, according to Mr Rehman, underwent the stent placement procedure at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2016