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Pakistan plans to raise Altaf's hate speech issue with UK

Islamabad - Nisar says latest speech has crossed all limits; Karachi operation will continue.

The Pakistan government has decided to take legal action with the British government against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain for his Saturday's speech, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan told the media here while terming it tantamount to waging war against the country.
"The hate-inciting speech, made in a foreign country, crossed all limits. Heads of key institutions were maligned and their institutions ridiculed, the minister said while referring to Altaf's address to party workers in Dallas, United States, from London via telephone.
He added that, "Sarcastic poems were read against the armed forces of Pakistan and accusations were levelled against the army."
The MQM denied on Sunday night that its London-based chief Altaf Hussain had talked about seeking "help from India, Nato and the United Nations" in his speech at a party programme held in the US on Saturday.
The MQM coordination committee's senior member Dr Farooq Sattar said Altaf never invited the UN, Nato or Indian forces to intervene on behalf of Mohajirs. He talked about setting up of a judicial commission to probe repression suffered by Mohajirs during the current operation by Rangers which he claimed is solely targeting the party.
The interior minister was of the view that "these statements cannot exhibit the sentiments of a patriotic Pakistanis including the mainstream Urdu speaking Mohajirs who were as patriotic as anybody in Pakistan.
Nisar said: "MQM leader Farooq Sattar on August 27, 2013 had demanded that Karachi be handed over to the army. The perception that the operation in Karachi is against the MQM or that the operation only targets one specific party is absolutely wrong, as the action has been taken across the board."
He further said, "Only criminal elements within the MQM have been targeted during the ongoing operation. Activists belonging to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), the Sunni Tehreek, the Shabab-i-Milli and the Awami National Party (ANP) were also arrested but no party raised any objections nor took to streets except the MQM."
"The operation will continue with the same pace," the interior minister asserted, adding, "The efforts carried out by government have resulted in a decrease in acts of terrorism." Nisar said, "Altaf hasn't come to the country during the past 25 years and I doubt that he will ever return."
"The noose around Altaf is being tightened over two cases filed in London and he is venting his anger on Pakistanis, the minister said.
He said the government has initiated examining legal action against Altaf by raising the matter with the British government. Though the media is no longer broadcasting his speeches live, the government is also considering to curtail the addresses to restricted gatherings as well, he said.
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