Jinnahpur Controversy

By Adnan Gill

Like MQM, if we were also to take Brig (r) Imtiaz's widely self-contradictory mea-culpa at its face value, one has to appreciate the deplorable role of the politicians too

It seems the so-called establishment toppled/manipulated governments through democratic process. Meaning, the establishment pooled the votes against the government of the time by buying loyalties or blackmailing the elected officials.

During his hay days at the Intelligence Bureau, Brig (r) Imtiaz specialized in engineering coup d'états. Ironically, it’s his recently discovered conscious, which yanked him out of obscurity into the limelight; rather, his whitewashing of MQM militant nay separatist history that turned him into a media darling. Hopefully, one day we will find out what jolted Brigadier’s conscious from the deep slumber? At least, MQM didn’t loose a moment to make a mountain out of molehill. Apparently, the powers to be have a master plan for which they want to wipe MQM’s slate clean. Courtesy of BrigImtiaz (a.k.a. Billah), an attempt has been made to bury the dirtiest piece of MQM’s rap sheet; i.e., Jinnahpur maps, which were allegedly recovered from its offices.

A critical player of the alleged ‘Jinnahpur’ controversy was Maj (r) Nadeem Dar. Both Nadeem and Billah served jail time for their deeds. Unlike Brig Billah, Maj Nadeem was physically involved in the operation. On Geo’s Capital Talk show, Nadeem swore that he personally recovered ‘Jinnahpur’ maps from Altaf Bhai’s home and party offices. Former Director General Pakistan Rangers Maj Gen (r) Safdar Ali Khan also corroborated Maj Nadeem’s account, that thousands of Jinnahpur maps were recovered from MQM offices in the 1992 operation. Consequently, Major’s claim effectively reduced Brig Billah’s statement to hearsay. Contrary to media reports, Brig (r) Asif Haroon never denied the existence of the maps either. He just couldn't confirm their origins. Which raises the question, why certain elements, especially the MQM are raising such a hue and cry over one convict’s word over the other’s?

If we were to visit memory lanes from this decade alone; wasn’t it MQM’s Quaid-e-Tehreek Altaf Bhai who in 2001, declared the creation of Pakistan , "the greatest blunder in the history of mankind", and then asked for Indian intervention? If that wasn’t seditious enough, didn’t he beg for the forgiveness of the applauding Indian audience for the creation of Pakistan ? Again, in 2002, on an ARY-Digital show, Altaf Bhai once again insisted that the creation of Pakistan was a mistake. In light of such treasonous statements from the MQM founder (now a British citizen), the existence of Jinnahpur maps look too plausible.

On MAY 12, 2007 , whole world witnessed the malicious character of MQM, live on their TV screens. Immediately, MQM cried Bloody Mary, even after numerous TV cameras caught its workers opening indiscriminate gun-fire that resulted in the massacre of dozens upon dozens of ANP and PPP activists. In 2008, witnesses reported, when the MQM hooligans set lawyers’ offices on fire, they repeatedly chanted: “ Karachi belongs to whom? To MQM.”

Recently, in an interview aired on the NPR’s Morning Edition, Karachi Nazim Kamal’s racist commentary exposed MQM’s racially motivated separatist agenda. Steve Inskeep reported, “ Karachi ’s mayor considers these ethnic Pushtoons a mortal threat… [who] are plotting to takeover his city.” Nazim commented, “These Pushtoons means what? Pushtoons means like fundamentalists. Religiously fundamentalists. Religiously extremists. They are coming in… When it comes to ethnicity they all are [the terrorists].” He argued that the Pushtoons were plotting to take over the city. Kamal said, "It’s a very strategic location… The super highway is there. They can control the highway," to which the reporter inquired, if their plan was in contrast to his own strategic plan? The Nazim responded in affirmation, "they definitely had a master plan before me." Nonetheless, the reporter retorted, "[Pushtoons] had no master plan beyond their next meal."

And when the hapless refugees from the war-torn Swat Valley tried to seek refuge with their friends or relatives in Karachi , the Sindhi nationalists and the MQM barred their entry into their territories.

There is a clear and undeniable pattern to MQM treacherous behavior. It plays the victim card even before their guns run out of ammunition. Why the so-called free media is so generously allowing MQM to cover-up its well-recorded separatist history is a million dollar question; rather, a million bullets question.

Finally, since Brig (r) Imtiaz has confessed his dirty deeds on every single talk-show of every channel, let alone his willful disregard of the Official Secrets Act, shouldn’t he serve additional jail time for every instance of illegal activity he so pompously admitted to? At minimum, his self-incriminating admissions of framing the MQM should have cleared the air enough for Altaf Bhai to finally feel bold enough to set a foot in Karachi after 18 long painful years of self-exile?