London riots and Altaf Hussain

Pir of London, Mr. Altaf Hussain, would be glad that his adopted motherland is burning to ashes right in front of him. The lovely, 1000-year old capital has http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifbeen hit by worst ever public rioting in living memory. This is something new for Londoners, people whose government has sent thousands of troops to kill and maim Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan. People who once ruled over half of the world. Today their own disgruntled youth has turned against them. And it is funny to note that the destroyer and butcher of Karachi, Altaf Hussain, is in London while all this is happening.

In recent weeks, since MQM, the main party of Karachi and Hyderabad, a party which is traditionally supported by Urdu speaking families, left the main coalition party in Sindh (PPP) the city of Karachi has been left in tatters. Hundreds of people, mostly immigrant Pashtuns, have been killed by the violent MQM party. The backlash from the Pashtun supported ANP has been almost equal. Thus, the stalemate. And now, after hundreds of Karachi wallas are dead MQM has again accepted - on certain conditions - the parcels from Mr. Zardari.

Now people are saying - and rightly, I think - that MQM's chief, Mr. Altaf Hussain, might perhaps be responsible for the rioting presently underway across much of UK. This might be a joke but there is an element of truth in this: When you support a known terrorist and give him home and office space, he might just one day turn on you. A snake, they say, never really forgets its real self. Therefore, UK government must not rule out the possibility of rouges such as Altaf Hussain taking part in the freeloading during riots.

The unsettling of Karachi City Govt.

PPP has done everything to force MQM out. But as MQM wallas are as big a ghundas as PPP wallas are, the only man suffering is the common man. You and me. The recent spate in killings across much of old Karachi since last four days is a clear indication of what PPP wanted and what MQM can do back here in the city. President Zardari may be the richest man in the country and he may be the husband of a dead former Prime Minister. But Altaf Hussain is no chai walla. He is fully capable of extreme violence, when there is a need to be. And somehow many of Karachi's down-trodden and even rich support MQM and him. They reason that Altaf looks and acts much better than Zardari. On any given day it is Zardari who can count on much worse press than Altaf bhai.

But what is the point of killing and maiming over 60 people, 10 of them, when British delegation was in the city? What exactly is the point here?

The burning of over 3000 shops could not conclusively prove that MQM was behind the carnage. Police and Rangers were the culprits. And this goes back to Federal Govt. aka Zardari the President. Over 60 were killed, most of them Shia mourners. And then the rampage began in earnest, as if directed by a Hollywood director.

Nothing proves nothing has been a dictum now-a-days in Karachi. Hundreds dead and thousands have lost their jobs. Yet no conclusion has been arrived at. The only conclusion is that neither MQM nor PPP wants to leave Karachi alone. Hell with the general public. They want their powers in Pakistan's biggest commercial city. And PPP appears to be lagging far far behind. So much so that someone from President's office had to 'immediately' call Altaf Bhai in London to 'please stop bloodshed'.

Such is his power string from London. Who, then, may be supporting this loner from UK? Your guess is as good as mine!