Adil Najam
The murder of Dr. Imran Farooq – one of the founders of MQM, a central figure in the development of the party and a key architect of its conceptual and ideological foundations – in London has sent shock around Pakistani political circles, particularly in Karachi.
Once second in prominence in MQM circles only to Altaf Hussain, Imran Farooq has been out of political news for many years now and had distanced himself – or been distanced – from mainstream day-to-day MQM affairs. The reasons why have remained unclear but the stuff of rumor mills. His murder in London is bound to reignite the rumor mills again. Indeed, they already have.
It remains unclear what happened in London. But it is clear that the repercussions of what happened there will be felt in Karachi and beyond well into and after the 10-day “mourning period” declared by MQM. Right now all television channels seem more engrossed in showing MQM leader Altaf Hussain’s near hysterical breakdown at MQM’s London offices, but we need to also begin thinking through the many critical questions that remain unanswered: Was this a run of the mill mugging and murder in a large international metropolis, or an international political targeting? If the later, who was behind it and why? But most important of all: what, if anything, does this mean for MQM; and by extension for Karachi and Pakistan?
Details still remain sketchy and there are more rumors floating than facts. This report from Dawn lays out the essential details:
Dr Imran Farooq, a founding leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and the organisation’s first secretary general, was assassinated in London on Thursday evening. Dr Farooq also served as the party’s only convener.
Television reports, quoting party and family sources, said Dr Farooq was attacked by some unidentified men with daggers near his London residence. He died of multiple wounds. But according to one source, a lone assailant had been lying in wait inside the apartment block where Dr Farooq lived on the first floor. He was attacked with a knife when he was climbing the stairs. He died on the spot.
At first the MQM leadership tried to keep the murder under wraps. Meetings in different cities to mark the 57th birthday of the party’s founding leader, Altaf Hussain, were suddenly cancelled for “unavoidable reasons” and supporters were told by senior leader Dr Farooq Sattar to go home. Tens of thousands of people had assembled in different places in Karachi, Hyderabad and other towns in Sindh to celebrate their leader’s birthday.
At the same time, the MQM leadership in Karachi and London went into closed-door sessions to discuss the situation arising out of the development. Reports from London said the police had cordoned off the apartment block and preliminary investigations had begun. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far and no arrests have been made.
Dr Imran Farooq is remembered by Muttahida loyalists as one of the key figures who laid the foundation for the All Pakistan Mohajir Students’ Organisation (APMSO), which eventually turned out to be a forerunner of the MQM. During the early 1980s, the APMSO was converted into a fully fledged political party to advocate the cause of the Urdu-speaking popuce, mainly in Karachi and other parts of urban Sindh. With Altaf Hussain as its leader, the bespectacled Dr Farooq was appointed secretary general of the party. He was also regarded as one of the main ideologues and the brain behind education of the party cadre.
When in 1992 Altaf Hussain went into self-imposed exile in the wake of a military crackdown, Dr Farooq went underground in Karachi, running the party from hiding. Although he was declared absconder by the then government, he continued to dodge the authorities. Eventually he managed to slip out of the country on a fake passport and under an assumed name. After arriving in London, he applied for political asylum. In the initial years he was one of the main players who helped Altaf Hussain oversee the party’s restructuring from London.
However, a couple of years ago differences emerged, sending Dr Farooq into obscurity. Since then he had been living the life of a recluse, with no role in party affairs. Even then his brutal killing sent the Muttahida rank and file into a daze, leaving them searching for answers.
Last words of Imran Farooq:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU48bHAlXlg
Altaf Hussain has never contested in any election instead he has given all these posts to his workers…
so he wont be PRIME MINISTER or PRESIDENT of Pakistan even if MQM gets victory from all over Punjab or Balochistan..
Apart of this ..just leave MQM hatred and criticism for a minute and imagine yourself
Every leader of any small or big party in Pakistan is a candidate for Prime Minister or President of Pakistan and they struggle their whole life to get there whereas Mr. Altaf Hussain has never contested in any election instead he has given all these posts to his workers.
Imran Farooq said that Altaf Hussain could also have easily made his own brother the Mayor of Karachi instead of Mustafa Kamal and he would have made his other brother as a Governor of Sindh instead of Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad
@ Aman Pasand
Four guesses
1. Pressure from (any) government to manipulate the investigation (Highly unlikely)
2. Element of Terrorism and probable linkage of I.F. (probable yet far-fetched)
3. Fear of a future trend of gang-killings in UK as a continuation of Karachi killings (a vague but cautious approach)
4. Careful and thorough interrogation of MQM activities in UK and linkages in Pakistan (Highly likely)
By the way… my question is still unanswered: Why was I.F. not attending the birthday gathering of Altaf? were differences so severe?
Why MI5 was so quick to take over this case? Any guess?
Presently, media and other sources are expressing and analyzing various aspects and motives behind Dr. Imran’s assassination, a high profile member of the MQM though presently estranged and rather disgruntled with MQM. One of the fingers being pointed out are towards the high command of MQM that may have been wary of Dr. Imran’s being the repository of many crucial secrets of this party that if spilled could land this organization in deep trouble.
It is a well know fact that Dr Imran was not having quite cordial or even normal relations with the top leadership of the MQM for quite some time. This strained and sour nature of relationship can be gauged from his expulsion from the MQM two times and suspension four times. He was under suspension and cut off from the party and its leadership for over two years until his death.
While living in exile that he chose with Altaf Hussain simultaneously, he kept a distance from his overbearing boss in the last several years and according to reports, they hardly spoke with each other except on very few occasions. He was an asylee like Altaf Hussain and was leading a low profile and modest life in London.
There is no gainsaying that there is certainly a sinister plot and well laid out conspiracy behind the murder of Dr. Imran whose role during the pioneering stages of MQM (previously Mohajar Qaumi Movement) was that of an ideologue, a planner, and an architect. But the leading cause for his estrangement or disenchantment with the party was its paradigm of functioning as a closely-knit mafia organization that tolerated no dissention or even criticism on the party boss.
Please check this.Imran Farooq in May this year.
http://pkpolitics.com/discuss/topic/where-is-dr-im ran-farooq