Amir Khan’s open letter

Chairman of his faction of Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-Haqiqi) Amir Khan has questioned as to why media and country’s intelligentsia is not discussing the ongoing operation against MQM-Haqiqi that was started in 2002 and resulted in the death of over 600 innocent people so far.In an open letter issued to media on Monday from his cell in Central Prison Karachi, the detained MQM-Haqiqi leader denied that Haqiqi leaders and workers entered into Mohajir areas in army trucks and jeeps, saying it was in fact the then MQM chairman Azeem Ahmed Tariq who invited the Army to protect themselves from the wrath of the masses.He said that an impression was being given that Muttahida Qaumi Movement was unaware of the military operation against it. In fact, he alleged, prior to the launching of military operation, several meetings between Sindh government officials, forces’ representatives and Muttahida leaders Azeem Ahmed Tariq and Saleem Shahzad were held in which Muttahida assured full support to government in its operation against anti-social elements in Karachi.He said that all civil and military authorities including Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif and ISI carried out operation against Muttahida.“During 1991 and 92, Karachi was in the grip of terrorists, who had created a state within the state. They used to deprive people of their income, lives, honour and properties without any fear of law or retaliation. Policing had failed in Karachi and recovering the bodies packed in sacks was a routine matter,” he said.Throwing light on the failure of operation against Muttahida, he further claimed that a secret agency was openly favouring Muttahida and in connivance with that secret agency, the operation was later targeted towards innocent people.He claimed that the 1992 military operation, which had ended within a few months of its start, was being recalled to create a divide between the people and the Pakistan Army.Giving details of his and other leaders’ separation from Muttahida and forming MQM-Haqiqi, he said actually they were against Muttahida’s policies.“But when we resisted, we were not only subjected to severe torture but several of our supporters were killed, their families were evicted from their homes and their houses were burnt to ashes,” he charged.And in 2002, when Muttahida supported the dictatorship of Musharraf, a military operation was launched against MQM-Haqiqi, Amir Khan claimed, adding that it was still continuing during which 600 workers of MQM-Haqiqi have so far been killed and hundreds are behind bars.“We were told by Sindh Home Secretary Brig (rtd) G.M Mohtaram in 2002 that Muttahida has assured Musharraf of his support in exchange of launching an operation against MQM-Haqiqi. We were asked either to surrender or go into exile and when we refused, reign of terror was unleashed against us,” he said.In the end of his letter, Amir Khan urged the media not to present one-sided “propaganda” against them without verifying it from MQM-Haqiqi and said it would be unfair and against media ethics to malign Haqiqi in its representatives’ absence and without seeking their opinion.