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Showing posts from August, 2013

Op-Ed: MQM in Hot Soup

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First Published in Economic Affairs - Islamabad based Magazine (Pakistan) / Aug 2013 BY Afrah Jamal ‘What was it for ?' The BBC Two anchor asks Farooq Sattar (MQM’s Deputy Convener and Parliamentary leader) with an impassive face, referring to the stash of pounds found after a raid on Altaf Hussain’s London pad. ‘Whatever it was for ’, he answers, at his inarticulate best. The word ‘body bags’ ominously flashes on the screen, Mr. Sattar changes tactics; ‘ we were all laughing ’, dismissing it as a joke. The savvy anchor runs more damning clips. ‘It is out of context ’, Farooq declares. ‘ There is no reference to context ’, he adds helpfully. But your own SC took notice… ‘o’ that ’, ‘ mere emotional outburst. ’ Unlike those ‘media types’ this party member would not speculate on the origins or purpose of the stash. He, like other loyalists filed away the latest episode under ‘more malicious propaganda’ and ‘sinister witch hunts’, accused BBC of falling prey to T