[DAWN] THE Muttahida chief is no stranger to making impolitic remarks. With legal troubles in the UK and a barely hidden confrontation with the government and security establishment in Pakistain, the party is under pressure, which has led to a number of unguarded, ill-advised public outbursts from Altaf Hussain...think of the head of the Barzini clan, only in Urdu...
. In its defence, the party has pointed out on several occasions that the ongoing security operation in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
is unfairly and lopsidedly targeting its cadres. Indeed, this is a valid complaint, judging by the law enforcers' actions against the party of late. The most recent manifestation of this has been the registration of a number of cases against Mr Hussain in several cities across the country, after the MQM supremo passed biting comments critical of the Sindh Rangers' director general. The charges include waging war against Pakistain and committing acts of terrorism. Adding to the pressure, some of the MQM's political rivals, too, have jumped into the fray; the PTI filed an application at a Karachi cop shoppe against Mr Hussain for 'hate speech' against the armed forces, while on Wednesday both the PTI and MQM moved rival resolutions in the Sindh Assembly against each other's leadership.
The MQM's alleged links with militancy are no secret: it has been accused of a variety of crimes, ranging from extortion to assassinations, to the murder of its own leaders. As such, all criminal elements affiliated with the party must be apprehended and brought to justice -- and the same must be done to all Lion of Islam actors, regardless of their political and religious affiliations, whose violent tactics have spread fear in Karachi. But angry statements do not fall into the same category as militancy. They must be handled deftly and the response to them should not give the impression of a state-orchestrated action against a political party. This is not for the first time that attempts have been made, apparently by state-backed elements, to create difficulties for a particular political party. Our history is full of similar instances, but such efforts have largely backfired, often causing a rise in the popularity of the targeted politicians. If the state's actions strengthen the perception that the MQM is being victimised, it will only add to the ethnic and political divide within the province and hamper efforts to comprehensively tackle all types of militancy in Karachi and beyond. The state must stick to a broad-based strategy while conducting the operation, and refrain from demonising any one party.