Zulfiqar Mirza is an Honorable Man

The Press and politicians have been callous and unreasonable in their reaction to the resignation Dr Zulfiqar Mirza which reminds me of my own resignation in September 1979.
The resignation of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza is one of the most important events in the history of the political class of Pakistan in which there have been very few instances of a politician acting honorably. Resignations always entail a cost. That cost is always weighed against the benefit – to oneself, the organisation or the country. When I resigned in protest against the execution of a popular Prime Minister, I made the point that the decision to put Mr Bhutto on trial and to execute him was not of the Army as an institution but of General Zia ul Haq alone. I could not have brought Mr Bhutto back to life but it did result in General Zia never obtaining legitimacy for his rule. After his death in an air accident, it was not the COAS – General Aslam Beg – who took over, the Constitution was applied in letter and spirit by him. Unlawful actions of Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif did result in another coup d'état – this time by General Musharraf - and he did secure legitimacy from the courts as well the parliament. But the ease with which he obtained the endorsement of the political class, this time led by PML(Q), he thought he was so secure that he could challenge the Supreme Court and even to incarcerate members of high judiciary. This time, the military added its weight and voice to that of the lawyers and the civil society through its ex-servicemen's organisation. This resulted in the judges removed by Musharraf being restored, democracy returning and the judges handpicked by Musharraf removed, and he himself being forced to resign. The effect of my resignation has been unfolding over several years, even decades. Those who criticized me why I resigned in September when Mr Bhutto had been executed in April, clearly missed the point.
Once again, the press is missing the point. Dr Zulfikar Mirza is being criticized why he waited so long; what action did he take when he was holding the office of Home Minister? The unkindest cut of all is that he is accused by the MQM of being an accomplice in a plot by his party leader – Asif Zardari – to deal a death blow to the MQM, and by others for being disloyal to his party – the PPP. The point of Dr Mirza's resignation is an important one and it is being deliberately missed. We have all suspected for years that the MQM is a fifth column of India and America and that Interior Minister Rehman Malik was infiltrated in the Zardari-Geelani Administration in order to protect the MQM from being banned and its leadership prosecuted. Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, is not the only person who knew the facts or to have the proofs. But he is only one who dared to expose the crime and the criminals. Since he did not have the authority to prosecute a federal minister or to obtain the arrest and repatriation of Altaf Hussain from the UK to Pakistan to face trial, all he could do was to bring the information he had to the notice of his party President and the ISI. He had to wait until either of them acted on the information. When he found that they were unwilling or unable to act, he made the information public. His action is timely, responsible as well as honorable.
It is already clear that Dr Mirza is not a part of a plan – ostensibly by President Asif Zardari – to discredit the MQM and gain voters in the urban areas of Sindh as the MQM suggested in a letter written by Nasreen Jalil to all the Ambassadors in Islamabad. It is the MQM that has blackmailed President Asif Zardari by alluding towards him being complicit in the killings of Mohajirs by the Baloch in Karachi. The resignation of Dr Mirza has brought the focus back on the real issue. He has stated on oath that the MQM is a terrorist group and that Interior Minister Rehman Malik protects them thus facilitating slaughter of innocents on the streets of Karachi. Now the Zardari-Geelani Administration has all the proof it needs to ban the MQM and put its killers on trial. If they do not act on the information provided, the Supreme Court is already seized of the matter and it can act even without the Executive Branch having pressed the case against the MQM.
The letter written by Altaf hussain to the British Prime Minister Tony Blair informed him that the MQM is willing and able to act as spies to provide 'humint' not just in Pakistan but also Afghanistan. The MQM claims to be a fifth column capable of paralyzing the port city of Karachi. The letter was written soon after 9/11 and the 'offer' made by Altaf Hussain, it appears, was accepted not so much by the British as by the CIA and RAW. Ever since, the MQM has insisted on control over the Ministry of Ports and Shipping in every government. One sees the hand of India in all the political plans of the MQM. The Six Points of Sheikh Mujib and the four points of Altaf Hussain have one important point in common. Both wanted such provincial autonomy which did not give the federation the right to levy taxes and present budgets. When the MQM presented its proposals for the 18th Amendment, it sought the federal government to be restricted to Defence, Foreign Affairs, and currency. Without much support from other parties, it opposed the VAT (RGST), which is an essential pre-requisite for documentation of the economy. When everybody was too tired, it succeeded in the GST on Services being made a provincial tax. It hopes to go on creating financial conundrums until all taxes are collected by the Provincial Governments. What Dr Mirza said on oath on the Quran is obviously true. The MQM knows that it is the American agenda that Pakistan breaks up and it is fully co-operating with the enemies of Pakistan towards that objective. It proposals for 'provincial autonomy' and the Sindh Province opting out of the GST on Services being collected by the FBR show how they wish to help America achieve its objectives. Yugoslavia came apart when the federation lost its right in the post Tito Constitution to collect taxes on the people – on their income and consumption. The MQM and its paymasters wish the same for Pakistan.
The facsimile of the letter of Altasf Hussain is available on the web site of BBC Urdu. It can also be seen on the web site of Hurriyat. The link is as follows
http://www.hurriyat.com/528/mqms-offers-counter-terrorism-support-to-uk/
Dr Mirza has reported a crime of high treason – conspiracy to break up Pakistan – by the leadership of the MQM in which Rehman Malik is an accomplice. Since the Supreme Court has already taken suo moto notice of the slaughter in Karachi, one hopes they would go to the root cause which has fortuitously been revealed by Dr Zullfiqar Mirza. He has not given a view on how the enemies of Pakistan wish to use the services of the MQM for the break up of Pakistan. I wish to be heard by the Supreme Court on the subject.
Letter of Altaf Hussain to Prime Minister Tony Blair of 23 September 2001
Dear Prime Minister
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) categorically stands against all sorts of terrorism, religious fanaticism and violence, and favours genuine democracy.
We can provide the following:

Many demonstrations in Karachi in favour of the International Community combating terrorism, within five days notice of the agreement being signed, putting hundreds of thousands of people on the streets of Karachi, (providing the permission of the Government of Pakistan is secured). First demonstration is scheduled for 26th of September 2001 in Karachi, the port city of Pakistan.
Provide unlimited resources in humint (human intelligence) in the towns and villages throughout the province of Sindh and in the province of Punjab to some extent, to monitor the activities of fundamentalists and Taliban led organisations, and also to monitor the activities of "madrassas" (Religious Schools).
To ensure select groups to penetrate Afghanistan in the form of aid workers so as to enhance Western agencies intelligence information capabilities.
In return for this assistance, we would seek assurance for the following minimum objectives, which would be held essential for ourselves and the good of Pakistan as a whole. Our objectives are as follows:
a) Equitable participation in the Governance of the province of Sindh and the Federation as partners, genuinely.
b) Equitable participation in all spheres of life including education, employment, army and administration.
c) That would need local policing consisting of Mohajirs and Sindhis.
d) That full autonomy be granted to provinces with the federation keeping only three subjects: Defence, Foreign Affairs and Currency Control, and in these sectors equal participation of all provinces be guaranteed.
e) ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) the secret agency must be disbanded otherwise the ISI will continue to produce many more Osama bin Laden and Taliban in the future.
I hope that you would be kind enough to seriously consider my offer for the benefit of Pakistan should any geo-strategic and commercial relevance of Pakistan left for the United Kingdom and the International Community.
Sd/- Altaf Hussain

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