Naimat Khan
KARACHI: Although his appeasement of Amir Khan-led pressure group within his political clique has earned him irks of the powerful quarters, Dr Farooq Sattar, Chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQMP), hasn’t overcome the internal rift as well, insiders reliably informed The Frontier Post.
A leader of the Farooq Sattar-led MQM-P informed that the party chief is going through tough times since he disowned the party’s founder Altaf Hussain in post-22 August speech, diving MQM into MQM-Pakistan and MQM-London.
“The party – MQM-Pakistan – is virtually being divided into parts, one led by Farooq Sattar and the second by Amir Khan, who has already established his position by making Sattar to rollback his decision of forming election alliance with Mustafa Kamal-led Pakistan Sarzameen Party.
According to sources some party leaders recently brokered talks between the MQM-P Chief and Deputy Convener Amir Khan but a long meeting ended without any results.
However, both leaders agreed to avoid statements against each others, according to sources, adding that both leaders also agreed to revolve their matters in future while saving the party from further division.
Two days earlier, Police submitted final challan in the anti-terrorism court (ATC) in which Chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Dr Farooq Sattar, and central leader, Amir Khan, has been declared co-accused.
An anti terrorism court in Karachi heard the case of inciting speech by Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain on August 22, 2016 outside the Karachi Press Club and subsequent attacks on media house. On the outset of proceeding, police submitted challan which said that both Farooq Sattar and Amir Khan had disowned the speech, however, there are concrete evidences as they were not only present but were also clapping when Altaf Hussain was delivering his anti-Pakistan speech.
“These were Farooq Sattar and Amir Khan who incited the workers to attack media houses. Amir Khan has also endorsed the anti Pakistan speech. In video Amir Khan said that orders of Altaf Hussain will be implemented. We don’t want to raise slogans in favor of Pakistan, Amir Khan told,” according to the challan.
The court ordered to provide copies of the challan to both Farooq Sattar and Amir Khan and set January 20, 2018 as next hearing date.
Late in November, an investigation officer on Saturday submitted before the anti-terrorism court (ATC) that request has been sent to Sindh Home Department to interrogate chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Dr Farooq Sattar, and central leader Amir Khan by Joint Interrogation Team in the 22 August hate speech case.
The officer submitted that police have already sent a letter to provincial home department, requesting to form JIT for the case.
The challan said MQM leader Amir Khan in support of MQM founder’s speech said that “after whatever has been happening [with the MQM] he no longer feels like making pro-Pakistan slogans”.
MQM leader Farooq Sattar clapped in support of Khan’s speech, the challan stated.
The suspects led weight to the incendiary speech of MQM founder, and violence against media houses could have been avoided if the two had not supported it. Their claims of not being aware of the administrative aspects of delivering the speech by the founder is a lie, the challan stated.
