MQM leader Altaf Hussain accused of having links with RAW

ISLAMABAD: A former MQM member on Thursday challenged the leadership of London-based party chief Altaf Hussain by announcing the formation of a new political outfit and accusing the MQM of having links with India’s external intelligence agency RAW.

Reappearing in Karachi after three years, former mayor Mustafa Kamal said Hussain was working on “breaking up Pakistan” and, in the process, had destroyed two generations of people. “We all know that Altaf Hussain has links with RAW,” he told a news conference.

Flanked by Anis Qaimkhani, another former leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Kamal accused Hussain of being behind the murder of hundreds of workers, including former chairperson Imran Farooq, who was killed in London in 2010.

Kamal’s accusations could signal the beginning of a revolt against Hussain, who moved to London in 1991 citing a threat to his life. Hussain has faced several problems over the past few years. In 2014, he was arrested by police in London on suspicion of moneylaundering and an investigation is still ongoing. MQM leaders have been accused of involvement in Farooq’s murder.

Kamal said the MQM had terrorised thousands of people in Karachi for over three decades. He accused Hussain of working against the state and deceiving the people of Pakistan.

The ‘ mohajirs’ or Muslim migrants from India, who were once held up as an example for the rest of Pakistan, had become objects of ridicule, he said.

Kamal broke down during the news conference and said MQM workers were not “originally from RAW” but were “made to work for the spy agency after they became members of the party”.