LONDON: Imran Farooq’s widow Shumaila Imran Farooq has said that she supports MQM leader Altaf Hussain’s call for the abolition of feudal system in Pakistan and his call for the need of reform of corrupt the political system.

Shumaila Imran Farooq told The News outside the secretariat of MQM that Altaf Hussain was always kind to Dr Imran Farooq, the former MQM convenor who was murdered in September 2010 by unknown men, and helped him take refuge in London after Dr Farooq fled Pakistan, where he was wanted on different charges.

Shumaila Farooq spoke as two demonstrations were held outside the international headquarters of the MQM on Saturday, one against the MQM by the Friends of Lyari International and another by the MQM and activists of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) against the Lyari group and what they called the “criminal elements of Lyari”.

The Friends of Lyari side was led by Habib Jan, a former PPP central council member, and he was joined by about three dozen activists of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI). The MQM’s far larger demonstration saw a turnout of more than 250 activists from the MQM’s London units and leaders of the People’s Youth Organisation. MQM Rabita Committee members Muhammad Anwar, Mustafa Azizabadi, Syed Anees Advocate, Qasim Ali Raza, Tariq Meer, Tariq Javed, Muhammad Ashfaq and PYO leaders Naeem Abbasi, Riaz Komervi, Shabir Raza, Waheed Iqbal and others took part in the “anti-Lyari gang” protest.

People’s Youth leaders told The News that they were attending the demonstration to show solidarity with “MQM’s stance against terrorism and criminal elements”.

Naeem Abbasi, PYO Chairman said: “We are attending this demonstration on the instructions of President Asif Ali Zardari and Rehman Malik. We want to make it clear that PPP has nothing to do with any criminal group. Members of Lyari gang are outlaws and they must be dealt with an iron hand. We support MQM’s

demand for action against criminals.”

Habib Jan said that MQM leader Altaf Hussain had attacked the judiciary and “issued threats to independent judges and must be punished for his crime”. He alleged that the MQM was responsible for intimidating political opponents in Karachi, including media.

But the MQM countered that Habib Jan and his like-minded people, including People’s Peace Committee, were involved in gun-running, weapons and drugs smuggling, extortion in Malir and beyond. MQM leaders said that criminals had turned some parts of Karachi into ghettos which were used for anti-state activities by the outlaws, including sectarian and terrorist groups. They said according to a conspiracy, the situation in Karachi was being destabilised in order to weaken Pakistan. They said that MQM fully respected the judiciary and had stood by the judiciary even during very difficult times and will always

There were fears that the two sides may clash but the local police was on alert and allotted two separate venues to both groups, separated by barricades by a distance of less than two meters, but the protests remained peaceful.



