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.
Imran Farooq’s days last few years in Karachi before he disappeared underground are tainted with violence,terrorism,kidnapping and extortion.
He died a violent death.While underground he worked on spreading hatred against the Pakistan Armed Forces.There is confusion as to where he was hiding from 1992 to 1999.It is said,he escaped to India,others say he escaped to Dubai.The later cannot be true as it is easy to track someone in Dubai than in India.
Secondly most of the MQM’s inner cadre leaders have roots in India hence the possibility.
As long as he lived Farooq was tainted with Jamaat leader Salah uddin’s gruesome murder.
Can someone please tell me, who were the original founders of the MQM? I keep hearing different names, but where were teh main leaders when it began?
I would recommend Scotland Yard should go through these comments .I am very sobre in making this recommendation.It will not only speed up the investigation but shall bring them to a correct conclusion.World has moved forward since the Don Rule of 80s and early 90s.I think this time he will not escape his destined fate.
More comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “im sure ye altaf bhai ka kaam hai.imran ko mqm se nikaal diya tha altaf bhai ne bcoz us ne kuchh aisi batain ki thein.”
– “get ready for blood shed in karachi……..”
– “waqaee sochne ki bat yeh he k yahan jo hta he ANP par ilzam laga dete hain ab wahan to ANP nhi he to yeh kis tarha hua….or mazi main jo kuch hta raha he us ko samne rakh kar is bat par sochain to bat samne aa jati he k haqeeqat kya he….or isi ka naam siasat he yaro………..”
– “q whn ANP nahi ja skti?”
– “Peer sab ka naya kar’nama lug ta hay? Azeem Ahmed Tarique k baad Imran Farooque bhi gaey.”
– “we must pray for the deceased…either he was at guilty or not……INNA LILLAHAY WA INNA ALAIHAY RAJAYOON………….hwever another victim of altaf bhai…….”
– “Tariq Ismail Sagar ki book .dahshatgard ,padho samjh aa jaey gi.Yaar bilkul wohi dramey ho rahe hain.Jo bhi Peer sb(BHAI) ka baghi hoa wo jaan se gia.”
– “MART KIYA NA KARTA
ye tu manshoor hai bhai ka”
@tamed
No, dear tamed I may clarify that we Punjabies do not hate Urdu, which is the language of the poetry of Ghalib, Iqbal, Faiz, Ahmad Faraz, etc., all the great poets of Punjab. We hate only its bastardized form with ‘iss’ afixation because it represents a mentality of a low type urdu-people who despise Punjabi as a vulgar language.
Btw, I had Inquired from many urdu friends why they insist on adding ‘i’ while writing words starting with ‘s’ in Urdu while there is no ‘i’ added to the same word when written in Roman script in English. But could not find any reason for that. Can you give me one please?
Regards