All these years he never said anything about her & all the sudden he is trying to hitch his wagon to her/taliban/alquida cause? I wonder what kind of medications he is one these days.
Altaf lashes out at US on Aafia issue
By Fasahat Mohiuddin
KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain Altaf has demanded of the US government and President Barack Obama to declare the conviction of Dr Aafia Siddiqui null and void and send her back to Pakistan.
He said this during a telephonic address from London at a huge rally held here on Tuesday against the conviction of Dr Aafia Siddiqui on MA Jinnah Road. The rally, which demanded the release of Siddiqui, started from the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam and ended at the Tibet Centre. Various rallies converged there from different parts of the city.
He said 90 per cent people around the globe were against the policies of the United States, urging the Muslim countries to get united and raise their voices wherever Muslims were being suppressed. “Altaf Hussain is facing several allegations. There is no allegation, which has not been levelled against me. I never care for any allegation,” he added.
Altaf condemned the conviction of Dr Aafia strongly and warned that it would not be in the best US interests if they want to gain sympathies. He also said if these policies were not reviewed, it would result in severe hatred against the US government and its citizens all over the world.
He claimed that the allegations against Dr Aafia were fake and fictitious and the court had no proof of the charges made against her. The actual charges against Dr Aafia are still to be known, he added.
He said the allegations against Dr Aafia were similar to the Iraq attack where fake accusations of the production of weapons of mass destruction paved the way to a million innocent civilian deaths. He said similarly, Dr Aafia Siddiqui was convicted for 86 years without any charges.
He also demanded of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to use all diplomatic channels for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui as early as possible. He said he hoped that the whole Pakistani nation would see their daughter in Pakistan very soon.
Dr Aafia may not be physically powerful enough to attack an American soldier but she is mentally powerful, he stressed.Altaf asked the United Nations and the European countries to use all their good offices for the release of Dr Aafia.
He said if the US wanted the whole world to be a peaceful place, then the Americans need to respect other’s religion and adopt a live-and-let-live policy.The MQM chief said he was not afraid of accusing the US despite it being a super power, because he was not scared of anyone. “I respect only the Holy Quran and Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), and believe the only super power is Allah,” he said.
He said a nation can be pressed once but finally they emerge and raise their voices against such human rights violation. He added that if the MQM came into power it would make Pakistan an independent country.
He appealed to all Islamic countries to rise and help not to tarnish the image of Islam and use their all diplomatic channels for the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui. Punishment of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Muslim daughter, is a slap on whole Islamic world, he added.
He also urged all developed countries to rise against this human rights violation, which is the biggest in the history of the world. He also appealed to all the human rights organisations of the United States to raise their voices against this conviction.
Referring to the demonstration held at 60 places in Pakistan at a time under the auspices of MQM, he said that millions of people are demanding the release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui. He asked that religion of each and every one should be respected. He paid glowing tributes to Dr Imran Farooq, who was recently assassinated in London, and urged the American and UK authorities to expedite the investigation into his murder.
Dr Afia Siddiqui’s sister Dr Fauzia Siddiqui and deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar also spoke on the occasion. Through a unanimous resolution, Sattar strongly demanded that the conviction of Dr Aafia Siddiqui be declared null and void.
He said the MQM would continuously raise its voice against the conviction till the release of Dr Aafia. He claimed over one million people had participated in the rally. Dr Fauzia Siddiqui expressed her gratitude for extending all-out support for the release of her sister. She said: “This mammoth rally proves that the whole nation demands that her sister be released”. She also thanked MQM chief Altaf Hussain for extending all-out support for the release of her sister. In another resolution, the rally demanded that killers of Dr Imran Farooq be arrested as early as possible.
