Dr Zulfiqar Mirza.

On December 12, 2011, Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza, former Home Minister of Sindh province of Pakistan went to Dubai to visit his best friend, Asif Ali Zardari, President of Pakistan, who is sick and has been hospitalized in Dubai for last couple of days. But presidential circles contradicted that Mirza didn`t visit President Zardari…

It is said that Dr Zulfiqar Mirza went to London to see the Chief of Scotland Yard police and handed over proofs to the London police against the Muttahida Quami Movement MQM, a Pakistani political party run from the United Kingdom and Altaf Hussain, Chief of MQM.

During Mirza’s stay in London, he and Lord Nazir, a member of the House of Lords were attacked by rods; the attackers were three young boys between 20-35 years as per the London police. As per Mirza, it was second attempt to kill him and Lord Nazir in London.

Dr Zulfiqar Mirza is a well know politician and very old member of Pakistan Peoples Party, and he has a deep friendship with Mr. Zardari, President of Pakistan. Mirza was Home Minister of Sindh province during the current PPP era. On August 28, 2011, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza addressed a press conference where he announced his resignation from the government.

During his resignation he alleged Altaf Hussain, Chief of MQM, for supporting the US in their goal to disintegrate Pakistan, and claimed that Hussain and MQM would side with US in their goal. He further accused Altaf Hussain saying that he would kill the pathans (people of MWFP, another province of Pakistan and majority of Pathans live in Karachi).

At the time of his allegations against Altaf Hussain, he put the Holy Quran on his head. As a Muslim, nobody would dare to think, that if a person has the Holy Quran in his hand or his head would lie. During the whole press conference Dr Zulfiqar Mirza held the Holy Quran on his head.

He also waved several documents and he said that those documents are proof of people responsible for violence in Karachi on and off.

He also claimed that he has a letter written by Altaf Hussain in 2001 where the MQM chief told Tony Blair, British Prime Minister that he would be willing to support the NATO if the British government helped MQM to disband the The Inter-Services Intelligence ISI, Pakistan’s leading intelligence agency and force changes in the country constitution.

During the same press conference, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza also claimed that he personally visited the MQM chief at his residence in London, where Altaf Hussain allegedly told him that the MQM was planning on supporting a ‘secret American plot’ to break up Pakistan.

Mirza further claimed that he had moved 20 men – ten of whom were facing the death penalty and ten facing life imprisonment – out of prisons in Karachi to prevent them from running criminal networks from behind bars. But that this effort was foiled by Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad Khan of the MQM, who brought the same crimminals back to Karachi.

After the press conference violence was erupted in the city of Quaid which took more than 100 people’s lives. Karachi is the city of Mohajirs (those who came to Pakistan from India after the partition of the Sub-continent in 1947). It is said that MQM got the mandate on the basis of guns and violence.

In the aftermath of the press conference Dr Zulfiqar appeared on media on and off and alleged Altaf Hussain for killings in Karachi as well as murderer of Dr Imran Forooq in London earlier this year. Dr Imran Farooq was a close associate to Altaf Hussain and he was living in London in self-exile.

It is very important that when Mirza was leaving for London, he was late and a flight with full of passengers was waiting for him. The flight was late. Imdad Pitafi, a MPA of PPP and Sharjeel Memon, Former information Minister, left for London with Dr. Zulfiqar Mirza. Imdad Pitafi and Sharjeel Memon are considered good friends of Mirza.

Imdad Patafi was suspended from the Pakistans Peoples Party by Qaim Ali Shah, the party Chief of Sindh. He also asked Sharjeel Memon to resign from Ministry. President Zardari called Memon for an explanation for these actions, the official reason being the trip to London. It is strange that Imdad Pitafi washed his hands from the membership of the party and Sharjeel Memon resigned from ministry, but nobody pressurized to Mirza or suspend him from the membership of party.

MQM is a party on the basis of language and ethnicity who currently got the power in Karachi and Hyderabad – two cities where Mohajirs have majority during the era of a Military dictator of Pakistan. Since the strengthening the MQM, Karachi has become a hub for blackmailers and terrorists.

Even the democratic governments of Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were forced to alliances with MQM due to heavy mandate in Karachi and Hyderabad. The current government of PPP shook hands with MQM and it was necessary to stop violence in Karachi. MQM threatened to leave the alliance many times and Altaf Hussain had broken down his relationship with ruling PPP one time and even the Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Governor of Sindh resigned in protest.

Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, the Governor of Sindh is a close associate of Altaf Hussain. After the phone call from President Zardari to Altaf Hussain, MQM took U-turn and announced its re-alliance with PPP government. Zardari made new promises to Altaf Hussain. Since the MQM got strengthened, it is must for every government to form alliances with MQM to keep the peace in the cities.

It is strange that President Zardari met Dr Fahmida Mirza, the wife of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and the first female speaker of National Assembly a day before he left for London.

President Zardari is considered the most corrupted politician of Pakistan. If the President is covering the back of Mirza, and get success to eradicate MQM this way, it would be a great success for not only for Zardari but for the people of Karachi. Many people believe Dr Mirza as they know nobody would dare to lie, if he has the Holy Quran on his head or hand.

But we have to see on which side of the President the camel will sit on. As if Ali Zardari is sick and under treatment in a Dubai hospital. Different sources have various rumors about the health of President of Pakistan, as some said he got heart attack or paralysis attack but government sources said that he went for his routine medical checkup. Nobody could confirm the actual situation!

Furthermore, it is yet to be reveled what the daring movement of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza to have a meeting with Scotland Yard police will lead to.

Om skribenten

Rana Rizvi (7 artiklar)
Rana Rizvi är frilansskribent och har en Master i journalistik från University of Karachi, Pakistan. Rana är bosatt i Toronto, Kanada sedan 10 år tillbaka och arbetar för närvarande som tolk och på bankkontor. Rana har skrivit för de pakistanska tidningarna Dawn, The News och Star daily i 16 år. Hon har skrivit ett stort antal forskningsartiklar, nyhetsartiklar och krönikor om olika sociala, politiska, kvinno, barn och miljöfrågor för tidningar i Pakistan, Indien, USA, Storbritannien och Sverige.