MQM rally in Lahore draws scores of supporters

Punjab politics: MQM chief rallies support for ‘revolution’By Abdul Manan
Published: April 11, 2011
Crowd of supporters gather for MQM rally. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS

LAHORE:
Attempting to break out of its urban Sindh heartland, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) held a massive rally at the football ground of Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Sunday, attended by thousands of its supporters, many of whom had come from different parts of Sindh and Punjab.

The event, billed a ‘public meeting’ by the party titled “Stabilising Pakistan”, was the largest event held by the MQM in Punjab and the culmination of several months of organising and preparation, both logistical and political.

The rally was attended by leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q), which sent a 10-member delegation led by the party’s parliamentary leader in the Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Zahiruddin Khan. Former president Pervez Musharraf’s changing the venue may have been political.

“They can change the venue but they cannot block our ideas and our workers from gathering,” said MQM Deputy Convenor Farooq Sattar.

MQM leader Altaf Hussain addressed the rally via telephone from London. He was particularly keen to dispel a notion that the MQM was an ethnic-based party, focused on the interests of Muhajirs and hostile to other ethnic groups.

In a message that was full of left-wing populism, Altaf laid out the party’s 18-point agenda. The MQM leader promised to eradicate “the nuisance of feudalism, capitalism and unequal distribution of wealth” from the country.

Seeking to burnish the party’s liberal credentials, he took aim at several of the most regressive cultural traditions in the country, such as “watta satta” (where two families arrange marriages between their sons and daughters), karo-kari (honour killing) and marrying women off to the Holy Quran (in order to disinherit them).

The MQM leader also promised to overcome the energy crisis, though he did not make it clear how that would happen.

However, Altaf appeared to also support the partition of Punjab through the creation of new provinces in Bahawalpur and the Seraiki belt, an unpopular position in central and northern Punjab. He did, however, state that the division would only occur after a referendum.

On a similar note, Altaf also called for an end to the military operation in Balochistan and demanded that the military establishment let the issue be resolved politically. He then offered the MQM’s services as mediators between the federal government and Baloch insurgents.

The party appeared to be breaking away from its pro-American stance of recent years, when the MQM chief advocated an independent foreign policy and termed the US drone attacks on the tribal regions “violation of Pakistani sovereignty”.

He also criticised the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a traditional bugbear of the MQM, and said that the country would refuse to accept any loans from the international lender if his party were to come into office. Altaf Hussain also promised to ‘eradicate’ unemployment while at the same time promising to introduce unemployment insurance in the country.

The MQM leader also promised to introduce a constitutional amendment to make education up to grade 10 mandatory for all citizens, punishable by an unspecified penalty for non-compliance.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2011.




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Published: April 10, 2011
Crowd of supporters gather for MQM rally. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN/EXPRESS
LAHORE: MQM Chief Altaf Hussain on Sunday called on the people of Punjab to work towards a strong Pakistan which is free of corruption, feudalism and foreign interference.

Hussain, who was addressing a large gathering in Gaddafi stadium from London via telephone, outlined his party’s national agenda for change. The MQM Chief alleged that he had been held back from coming to Punjab due to false accusations against the party.

He claimed that revolution is inevitable in Pakistan, warning that his party could break away from the ruling coalition if hurdles were created in his way.

Altaf called for upholding national interests in order to end foreign influences. He pointed out the need for state-sponsored, free education and also stressed on a uniform curriculum across the country.

He promised to devise an independent foreign policy and resolve Balochistan issue. He also promised to address the grievances of South Punjab.

Scores of people continue poured into the football enclosure of Gaddafi Stadium for the grand procession of MQM in Lahore.

Banners and placards were plastered all over the city ahead of the first ever politico-public gathering of the MQM in Lahore.

Leaders of various political parties assured the MQM that they would attend the procession.

The MQM had extended a formal invitation to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers to attend the rally at Punjab Stadium during a meeting party leader Jehangir Badar in Lahore. The MQM had earlier also invited the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) to attend the rally.

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Pakistani spy chief presses CIA for concessions

11 Apr 2011 21:09

Source: reuters // Reuters


* Pakistani spy chief meets Panetta at CIA headquarters

* Pakistan wants greater control over U.S. operatives

* Some Pakistani proposals 'non-starters' -U.S. official

* Relations already strained by lawsuit, shooting incident (Recasts after meeting; adds Washington to dateline)

By Mark Hosenball and Chris Allbritton

WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 11 (Reuters) - The head of Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence directorate met CIA Director Leon Panetta on Monday to discuss ISI demands for greater control over U.S. spy operations on Pakistani soil.

The meeting, at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, represented an attempt by both Panetta and the Pakistani spy chief, Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, to repair the critical relationship between the two agencies, which had suffered serious strains over the last six months.

Officials indicated the meeting had gone well, though key issues remain unresolved.

"Director Panetta and General Pasha held productive discussions today and the CIA-ISI relationship remains on solid footing," Preston Golson, a CIA spokesman, told Reuters.

"The United States and Pakistan share a wide range of mutual interests and today's exchange emphasized the need to continue to work closely together, including on our common fight against terrorist networks that threaten both countries."

Privately, U.S. officials acknowledged that despite renewed goodwill, some Pakistani demands for greater scrutiny and control over CIA activities in Pakistan are unacceptable to the administration of President Barack Obama.
People familiar with the views of the Pakistani government said last month that, as part of a deal which resulted in the the freeing of Raymond Davis, a CIA contract bodyguard who had been arrested on murder charges, the CIA agreed to cut back on U.S. spying in Pakistan.

The sources also said the CIA had agreed to give ISI more credit for its counter-terrorism efforts and to keep Pakistani authorities better informed of CIA activities.

MANY TOPICS UNDER DISCUSSION

Following Monday's meeting between the spy chiefs, a U.S. official said: "The Pakistanis have asked for more visibility into some things, and that request is being talked about -- along with a host of other topics, including ways to further expand the partnership."
But the official also said that while some Pakistani proposals were "under review," the Obama administration regarded others as "non-starters." The official declined to specify which Pakistani suggestions were likely to be rejected by Washington.

Beginning late last year, joint U.S.-Pakistani intelligence operations were disrupted by a series of disputes, most notably the Davis case in which the CIA contractor shot dead two Pakistanis in the eastern city of Lahore in January. [ID:nL3E7F908B]

Pakistan held Davis in jail for weeks despite U.S. claims that he was protected by diplomatic immunity. He was released last month after the families of the men he shot were paid compensation, a custom in Pakistan and approved in Islam.

Ties were also strained when Pasha and other alleged ISI officers were named as defendants in a U.S. lawsuit filed by families of Americans killed in a 2008 attack by Pakistan-based militants on high-profile targets in Mumbai, India.

The lawsuits allege the ISI officers were involved with Lashkar-e-Taiba, an anti-India militant group, in planning and orchestrating the Mumbai attacks. Pakistan's government said it will "strongly contest" the case.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Pakistani media named the undercover head of the CIA's Islamabad station, forcing him to leave the country.

The ISI offered no details on Pasha's Washington trip, which comes days after the Pakistani government extended his tenure as spy chief for a second time to ensure continuity.

Despite continuing difficulties, a U.S. official familiar with the high-level spy talks said: "The bottom line is that joint cooperation is essential to the security of the two nations. The stakes are too high." (Editing by John O'Callaghan and Mohammad Zargham)