Imran criticises MQM's campaign against Pakhtuns
Amanullah Kasi
Saturday, 29 Nov, 2008
QUETTA: Imran Khan, the chief of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) has said that the MQM leadership's hue and cry on Talibanisation in Karachi was aimed to purchase weapons to arm its members and sympathisers to expel the people of other provinces from the metropolis to retain their domination in Sindh's provincial capital.
Speaking at a press conference and addressing the Balochistan bar association respectively on Saturday he strongly demanded that the Muttihada Qaumi Movement leader Altaf Hussain should be extradited from London to be tried in Karachi in the murder cases for killing of innocent people.
He said the MQM propaganda regarding Karachi's Talibanisation was to create problems for outsiders particularly Pakhtuns who came in the city for jobs.
Imran Khan said the tragic incident in Mumbai was a condemnable act but the decision to send the ISI chief to India was a cowardly act of the government. He said the ISI was a respectable national security institution and its image should not be tarnished at the international level by sending the organisation's chief to New Delhi.
He said the government's report indicated that foreign saboteurs were involved in the bombing of Islamabad's Marriott hotel then why did our government not summon the intelligence chief of that country. 'We are not against intelligence-sharing with our neighbours but no country has right to summon the ISI chief,' he added.
Khan while criticising the United States and western countries on the Taliban issue said when the Tamil Tigers conducted suicide attacks on the Sri Lankan army, Washington and London never dubbed them as 'terrorist, extremist or fundamentalist.'
He asserted that the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas opted for suicide attacks to avenge the allied forces led by the United States and maintained that if the United States and NATO forces and the security forces withdrew from Kabul and the tribal areas respectively then the suicide bombers would stop the violence.
He strongly demanded the reinstatement of the deposed judges and bringing an end to the military operations in Balochistan and the tribal areas, adding that political issues should be settled politically and not militarily.
Imran Khan said we supported the PPP-led coalition government on the issues to reinstate the deposed judges and annulling the 17th amendment but the rulers have deviated from the committment made with the people of Pakistan which is why we have no option but to launch a movement against the government.
He said the APDM's agenda was limited and on Saturday he had met the alliance's convener Mahmood Khan Achakzai to convene the APDM's meeting to discuss the country's situation.