Brutes and Beasts – Haqiqi

The MQM has also experienced more sever divisiveness. In the summer of 1991, the breakway Haqiqi a faction from within MQM by the name of “Haqiqi” was formed by the then Intelligence Agencies and Military Intelligence in order to break MQM. This group which is widely believed to be the stooges of the military agency, the ISI was used to mainly to damage the party. Not surprisingly, given that divided militant movements are usually the most violent the result of the split has been a sharp increase in militant action. Afaq Ahmed and Aamir Khan had first surfaced towards the end of 1991. Once most trusted allies of leader of MQM, Altaf Hussain who also went on to guard Quaid-e-Tahreek, Altaf Hussain turned into the “moles” and brutes. Obviously this was a gradual process as both due to their criminal activities and involvement with certain establishment forces were kicked out by the party.

Its interesting because Afaq Ahmed hailed from a remote part of Karachi, Landi which was under-developed where later on they made the Haqiqi HQ called, “Baitul Hamza” and Amir Khan who hailed from the densely populated Liaqatabad made his HQ in Lalu Khait Number 10 which stands deserted today.

The formal split and formation of the Haqiqi came about in June 1992 after Operation Cleanup launched by Pakistani security forces in Karachi obviously the timing of which was most important – it was the time when Haqiqi was being launched not from Karachi but from Lahore under the guidance of the then Chief of Pakistan Army who proudly called Haqiqi as his “own lads”. The dissidents attached Haqiqi meaning real or authentic in Urdu as a suffix to the MQM acronym as an assertion of the outfit's legitimacy. Many former MQM members who were expelled from the MQM due to alleged criminal links joined the Haqiqi faction.

Ever since the formation of the Haqiqi, Karachi and other urban regions of Sindh have been rocked by internecine clashes within the majority Mohajir community. There were several incidents of targeted killings whereby terrorists of one faction would attack members or sympathizers of the other.

For those who claimed for the infamous MQM’s slogan of “Quaid ka jo ghadar hai, maut ka haqdar hai” (anyone whose against the Quaid deserves death) does not actually take the context and timing of the slogan into the context. It was only after the split that emotional slogans like that were raised. An MQM legislator in National Assembly termed, the treason “worse then raping one’s own mother and sister”.
Formation of Haqiqi a splinter group from MQM is no more an enigma. Before going into too much detail, I would like to refer to a book named, “The Ultimate Crime” – Eyewitness to power games by the former IG, Punjab Sardar Muhammad Chaudry who had been a close aide of Nawaz Sharif during his tenure. Muhammad Chaudry, the IG Police, Punjab writes,
“When I took up such cases with Gen.Asif Nawaz he agreed vert reluctantly to take action against his men and only after I pointed out that unchecked indiscipline would ultimately become a serous problem even for the senior army command. He promised “to slit their throats” but I never learn about action by him.

In fact, he went beyond failing to punish indiscipline; he even protected criminals. During the army action in Sindh in 1992, he made Muhajir Qaumi Movement his only target, through he was supposed to act against dacoits and gangsters everywhere in the province. Some gangsters everywhere by timely intelligence, the police were able to arrest all of them. Gen. Asif Nawaz wanted me to release them. “But they aremurderers and criminals,” I told him. “Their arrest will help in achieving the objectives of the army action.” But he had some other objectives in mind. “You are not fully aware of the situation in Karachi,” he said. “I want to set these thieves to catch bigger thieves.” I, however did not give in.

He then approached the Prime Minister. Whatever he told him, the result was that Nawaz Sharif rushed immediately to Lahore and held a high-level meeting right at the airport. My arguments cut no ice with him. Then the Additional IGP, Special Branch, Maj.Zia ul-Hassan, narrated the details of the criminals acts of those under arrest. When he insisted rather emotionally, that the arrests were justified, the Prime Minister instead of changing his mind, lost his temper. The tremendous pressure of the army chief seemed to be showing itself. So, we had to find a way out to allow release on bail. The same criminals elements later reappeared in Karachi as “MQM Haqiqi!” The Chief of Army Staff was their patron.”

(The Ultimate Crime by Sardar Muhammad Chaudry Pages 604-605)

Haqiqi was indeed “a bunch of criminals” who were previously abandoned and asked to leave by Alltaf Hussain the leader of MQM because of their criminal activities. This is was the time, the establishment used and abused such criminal elements and tried to sabotage MQM by trying to create a split unsuccessfully.

The most pathetic of the scheme by the then establishment was the assassination of Altaf Hussain’s best comrade and Chairman of MQM, Dr.Azeem Ahmed Tariq in 1993. First when Haqiqi with intelligence agencies were cleverly used to assassinate Dr.Azeem Ahmed Tariq, Chairman of MQM and then the establishment used Haqaqi to hijack the funeral of Dr.Azeem Ahmed Tariq where army trucks and rangers vehicles were used to hijack the funeral proceedings of the slain chairman of MQM via Haqiqi men. Even closest relatives of the late, Azim Ahmed Tariq were shot at by Haqiqi and Rangers.

Its interesting to note that the last press conference which the chairman of MQM, Dr. Azeem Ahmed Tariq gave actually was a plea to the establishment to stop her dirty tactics. He also mentioned about the constant pressure from the establishment to force him to join Haqiqi which he considered “treason”.

Its interesting to note that only recently two armed terrorists who were actually caught in to bid to assassinate Mr.Qureshi a leader of JASQAM turned out to be Haqiqi men who processed ID’s of an intelligence agency.

Haqiqi during the years tried to establish herself as a political entity but miserably failed due to the lack of support and finally is in a stage of split herself where Afaq Ahmed and Amir Khan the creators of Haqiqi fighting each other for more and more control.