London: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) founder and exiled leader Altaf Hussain has demanded the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to constitute a commission to look into the massacre of the Mohajirs in Pakistan since 1947.
Hussain said that the UN commission should, in particular, investigate on Pukka Qilla massacre in 1990 between May 26 and 27, which was worst of all previous carnages.
He made the demand during his address to the participants of an Iftar-cum-dinner that was hosted by the UK east chapter of the MQM.
Hussain said that the Mohajirs are a constant victim of state-sponsored repressive agenda after they had founded Pakistan, adding that the community had erected its basic structure as a sovereign state but the “demonic military junta” of Pakistan had assassinated the country’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah through “poison.”
“He (Jinnah) was sick and was at his Ziarat Residency in Quetta when he was transported to Karachi in an ambulance for treatment but the military junta had put him in a highly depreciated ambulance which had halted midway to Karachi. The military junta did not want to see him survive of the poison that was given to him. This very military junta that has always been power-hungry also assassinated the first Premier of Pakistan Mr. Khan Liaquat Ali Khan, who was a right hand of the founder of Pakistan. He was shot dead during a public gathering at Rawalpindi,” he claimed.
Hussain further said that the Pakistani military establishment had also “assassinated” Jinnah’s sister Fatimah Jinnah and called her an Indian agent.
“The military junta also assassinated Mr. Jinnah’s sister Ms. Fatimah Jinnah.
The military junta had also declared Ms. Fatimah as Indian agent because she had dared to fight elections against military dictator Ayub Khan,” he further said.
Hussain explained, “According to Liaquat-Nehru Pact-1950, the property of Hindu of Pakistan migrating to India would be given to Mohajirs migrating from India to Pakistan. Mohajirs have not yet been given a single inch of evacuated property and hence they were forced to live in tents.
Contrary to the facts, Sindhi nationalists claim they had favoured Mohajirs. In fact, Mohajirs’ ancestors laid 20 million lives for the creation of Pakistan and freed people of present Pakistan.
The truth is that they are the Mohajirs who have favoured Sindhis, Balochis, Punjabis, Seraikis and all other folks in Pakistan by freeing them from the slavery and gave them a free state. They were the Mohajirs alone who shed their blood for the freedom of Pakistan.”
He said that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) carried the massacre of Mohajirs and they continued to suffer from PPP’s tyranny during all of its present and previous governments.
Hussain further asserted that it was PPP’s founder and former Pakistan President Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who presented the Sindhi ethnic language bill in the Sindh provincial assembly that was completely anti-Urdu.
Late Pakistani poet Raees Amrohavi had in an improvised remark said, “Urdu Ka Janaza Hay Zara Dhoom Sey Nikley” (You are burying the Urdu language so there should be a great manifest of jubilation from your side).
Hussain added that when Mohajirs protested against the bill, they were killed and their graves were still present in the compound of Masjid-e Shuhda (Mosque of martyrs) at Liaquatabad.
“In rural Sindh, Mohajirs’ properties were set on fire, they were attacked with arms and ammunition and they were forced to migrate from rural Sindh to urban areas. Bhutto deprived Mohajirs of employment opportunities through the imposition of the quota system. They were expelled from colleges and universities and doors of education were closed for them.”
He said that on unending repression on Mohajirs, he was compelled to found All Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) (A student union in University of Karachi) on June 11, 1978, and on that day, they were also expelled from the university on gunpoint.
Later, Hussain continued to say that he founded the MQM on March 18, 1984, on which massacre of Mohajirs was carried by Pakistan through Sindhi nationalists and law enforcement authorities.
“On October 31, 1986, Mohajir convoys towards Hyderabad were attacked in which hundreds of Mohajirs were martyred at Sohrab Goth in Karachi’s Super Highway and Market Chowk in Hyderabad. In addition, Mohajir leaders, my companions and I were arrested. On December 14, 1986, Mohajir colony, Aligarh and Qasba was attacked where armed militants continued to kill Mohajir men, women, elderly and children for six hours. After killing, the militants set their homes ablaze,” he added.
Similarly, Hussain said, on September 30, 1988, state agencies facilitated and armed groups of “militants” ensured a huge massacre of Mohajirs in Hyderabad, where hundreds of men, women, elderly and children were killed and women were raped.
Hussain asserted that 300 Mohajirs were killed in the attack. However, no law enforcing authority came to protect Mohajirs and instead continued to facilitate the “militants.”
Hussain claimed, “On orders of Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had on May 26, 1990, massacred Mohajirs in Hyderabad.” That was a joint conspiracy of PPP and military establishment. For the massacre, they had released criminals and terrorists from jails, armed them, dressed then in police uniforms and thus the Mohajirs were killed in an ambush at Pukka Qilla. Homes and shops of Mohajirs were set ablaze, men and women and children were brutally killed and even they had desecrated the Holy Quran.”
He further said that during that attack, the administration had shut water and electricity supply and later the Mohajirs were not even allowed to carry their funerals to graveyards and were again attacked with lethal weapons, resulting in heavy casualties.
Hussain continued that the bodies were buried inside the Pukka Qilla premise and the massacre went for two days (May 26 and 27, 1990).
He claimed that no terrorist has been arrested or taken to task and the “nominees” and mastermind of the carnage were acquitted.
Keeping this in mind, Hussain has demanded the UN Secretary-General to constitute a commission to investigate on the genocide of Mohajirs, their massacre by the Pakistani authorities through its agencies and bringing the culprits to justice. (ANI)