DOMESTIC, POLITCAL

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06717215
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: February 5, 2018
• Case Number: F-2017-02566
• Publication Date: March 1, 1998

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Approved for Release: 2018/01/29 C06717215
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Document ID: FTS19980301001365
Entry Date: 03/01/1998
Version Number: 01
Region: Near East/South Asia
Sub-Region: South Asia
Country: Pakistan(01
Topic: DOMESTIC, POLITICAL
Source-Date: 03/01/1998
Editorial Sees MQM 'on the Offensive'
� BKOI 0315=1798 Peshawar The Frontier Post in English I Mar 98 16
[Editorial: "MQM on the Offensive"]
[FBIS Transcribed Text] The MQM and the PML government are clearly pulling in opposite directions.
At least this is the impression that the MQM chief Altaf Hussain has been giving in recent days. The
simmering differences between the two coalition partners got, in effect, fuelled by last Sunday's killing
of eight MQM supporters in Karachi. The MQM issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the gorrnMent for the
arrest of the culprits involved in the bloodbath, but apparently withdrew it when the prime minister
intervened to head off what might have been an extremely embarrassing development: The MQM has
venly accused its rival Haqiqi faction of having a hand in the killing of its people it named some top
Niqi leaders in the FIR. Ostensibly, the government is not willing to buy the MQM story, which is just
yell. It has its own inputs from various sources which might be suggesting the opposite of what the
�4 wants everyone of believe. As far as we know, there is no immediate government plan to arrest
i leaders. This is precisely prompting the MQM to belch more and ,more anti-government rhetoric.
me minister and his team are already dangerously stretched, given their inept handling Of the
';hwa crisis. The continuing spin-offs are proving particularly punishing for a government which
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was lulled into believing that, al it had outwitted the president and judik-dry in a battle for
constitutional supremacy, things would fall into a predictable pattern. The MQM knows the state of
prime minister's nerves, hence it may have decided to move in with a decisive plan to milk as many
concessions as possible from a wobbly ruling party. The latter has earned a bad name for having readily
agreed, at the time of hustings, to all manner of demands from its equally opportunistic allies.
� The MQM has now issued a 25-page letter, whose upshot is that the accord with the PML government is
in danger of being revoked. Mr Altaf Hussain is upset over the prime minister's statement that foreign
elements might have been involved in Karachi's latest killings. He wants the prime minister as well as
the people to know that the violence in Karachi is directly linked to the role of intelligence agencies.
These agencies, according to him, are conspiring to sour MQM's relations with the government. He
would have us believe that some individuals under the influence of these agencies have found their way
into the PPP and the PML; some of them have become members of the Parliament and conducting an
anti-MQM campaign. Analysis tend to regard the latest MQM's letter as straws in the wind. Are we
going to NVSS n MQM-PML divorce in days ahead, or is it just another manifestation of its pressure
tactics? It might well be that the PML government has finally recognised the perils inherent in a
no-holds-barred cooperation with the MQM. Previously both Ms Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif were
constrained to rethink their ties with Mr Altai Hussain. The latter now is simply asking for a couple of
Haqiqi heads on a platter so that it could rule Karachi with impunity. Another intriguing thing: Mr Altar
Hussain,does not want any finger-pointing at the RAW; rather, he is accusing the country's own security
outfits. Most Pakistanis are now inclined to believe that Altaf Hussain's politics[01 have remained
unchanged regardless of who happens to be at the helm of affairs in Pakistan[01. He wants others to
� make necessary adjustments unilaterally, which is bound to leave Karachi as it is. The ball is now in the
prime minister's court. He must act judiciously, which means holding consultations with his associates
� and leaders of public opinion, including Ms Bhutto and other front-line opposition leaders. Mr Altaf
Hussain has made a subtle criticism of the role of the army in Karachi. He starts by saying that it is a
mistake to treat MQM as a security risk; and then he brings in the army in what seems a rather tenuous
connection. The security of the country, he argues, not only lies in the hands of the army, but also in the
hands of patriotic Pakistanis. No-one can doubt this. One hopes Mr Altaf Hussain is saying it from the
bottom of his heart.
Unfortunately, he is a master of doublespeak.
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Unclassified
Document ID: FTS1998030200010I
Entry Date: 03/02/1998
Version Number: 01
Region: Near East/South Asia
Sub-Region: South Asia
Country: India.
Topic: HUMAN RIGHTS INTERNATIONAL, POLITICAL
Source-Date: 03/02/1998
Ethnic Violence in Pakistan Viewed
BK0203071098 Delhi Al! India Radio Network in English 0245 GMT 2 Mar 98
[Commentary by Pushp Saraf of The Pioneer]
[FBIS Transcribed Text] It is not surprising that the commercial capital of Pakistan, Karachi, is once
again in the grip of violence. For too long, the aspirations of the local people have remained unfulfilled.
The majority of them are immigrant Muslims from India. Their plight, in fact, is a telling example of the
mischief of the two-nation theory which was based solely on religion. In the latest incident last Saturday,
�at least eight persons have been killed and 25 injured in two bomb blasts. There have been about 40
deaths in Widespread violence since 22 February. Fresh violence has again been triggered following the
arrest of about 150 people. The recent spurt of violence in the port city of Karachi is linked to a
determined attempt by Pakistan's intelligence agencies to weaken the Muttahida Qaumi Movement,
MQM[01. These agencies have propped up a rival faction to malign and damage the MQM101. This
faction is known as the Haqiqi faction.
The dominant presence of the MQM[0] in Karachi is evident from the fact that it is presently an ally of
Prime Minister Navvaz Sharifs Pakistan Muslim League. The MQM[01 chief in exile, Mr. Altaf Hussain,
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