Political parties condemn Altaf’s statement

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

ISLAMABAD: Political parties, including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazal, on Monday criticised the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for inviting “patriotic generals to act against corrupt politicians” and termed the statement reflective of the party’s double standards on national issues.

In their reaction over what they termed an uncalled for statement at a time when the country is passing through a critical phase of its history, the political parties observed that the MQM had always been a beneficiary of all governments during the last twenty years. “It seems strange when the MQM invites generals to overthrow what they themselves are part of,” they said.

When contacted, Liaquat Baloch of the JI said that there was no conformity between what the MQM had been practicing and what it had been preaching. “It (MQM) has been a part of what it has been terming as politics of interests for the last twenty years… the very statement shows that MQM is not a democratic party,” he said.

He said that the statement proved that the MQM was being “used by the establishment and it speaks whenever and whatever the establishment wants it to”. The JI leader said his party had reservations about the Pakistan People’s Party government. “However, the army is not a solution to the problems faced by the nation. It (army) would rather complicate the problems and bring the country to the verge of disaster,” he said.

JUI-F spokesman Amjad Khan termed the statement “strange”, as the MQM was a coalition partner of the PPP government in the Centre as well as in Sindh, against whom it was inviting the generals to act. He said that the statement was a “conspiracy against the democratic institutions of the country”.

The JUI-F leader urged the MQM to raise their concerns in parliament, as it was the proper forum to discuss national issues. “I am surprised over why Altaf Hussain made a statement at a time when the country is facing the worst floods of its history,” he said.