Summary Farooq Sattar said the situation in Karachi might soon go out of control.
WASHINGTON (Web Desk) - Ahead of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif s US visit next week, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) reached out to the Obama administration to impress upon the Pakistani leadership particularly security forces not to target its members in Karachi in the name of counter-terrorism operations, the Indian Media reported on Saturday.
In an interview with the Press Trust of India (PTI), Farooq Sattar, a senior MQM member and in-charge of its international relations and diplomatic affairs, said that the situation in Karachi is "very volatile" and "can explode" any moment if steps are not taken now.
He said the situation in Karachi might soon go out of control.
"I told them (State Department officials) that if Karachi is going into a state of turmoil, if things become irreversible where will you have the strength to run your (Pakistan s) economy (sic), run your national programmes like war on terror, action against the Taliban and fighting this enemy within," Sattar told PTI in an interview after his meetings at the State Department.
"The Taliban is an enemy within so is Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. So you have to ensure peace and stability in Karachi by doing a justiciable operation. You bring temporary peace by usurping fundamental rights," he added. .
Sattar further claimed: "We (MQM members) are law abiding citizens. We are peace loving citizens. We believe in democracy. God forbid, if it (Karachi) goes into turmoil, what will happen to the economy of Pakistan."
The MQM, Pakistan s fourth largest party, traditionally represents the descendents of Urdu-speakers who migrated from India after the creation of Pakistan in 1947. The party holds the majority of the Karachi s legislative seats.
MQM s leader Altaf Hussain, who lives in exile in London, has repeatedly accused the military of targeting his party in long, rambling speeches. Hundreds of party workers have been arrested in ongoing targeted operation against criminals and terrorists in the city.
