British better flee from Pakistan

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Supporters of Altaf Hussain is going to mass kidnap and execute British to exchange for release of their political chief. I can be sure that British are no longer safe in Pakistan.

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-...03-711591.html

Pakistani Party Chief Arrested in London - Update

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By Saeed Shah, Syed Shoaib Hasan and Alexis Flynn

KARACHI, Pakistan--London police arrested powerful Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain on Tuesday for suspected money laundering, a move that sparked panic and violent unrest in the sprawling metropolis of Karachi.

Mr. Hussain, a Pakistani-born naturalized U.K. citizen and former Chicago cabdriver, has long lived in self-imposed exile in London and had been the subject of a lengthy British police investigation.

A figure with near-cult following in many parts of his hometown of Karachi, he heads the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a political party that dominates Pakistan's biggest city and represents Muslims who migrated there from what is now India during the countries' partition in 1947.

The party rejected the money-laundering allegation. Mr. Hussain couldn't be reached in custody, and his lawyer in London, Robert Brown, said he was unable to immediately answer questions about the arrest. No charges have been filed against Mr. Hussain.

MQM, whose followers have been involved in frequent acts of violence, is part of the government in the southern Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital, and was an important partner in the previous federal government. An opponent of Islamists, the party traditionally has advocated liberal values and called for friendly ties with the West and India.

Though the MQM appealed for calm as news of the arrest broke, Karachi quickly went into lockdown amid sporadic incidents of violence.

Bus companies suspended their operations. Roads quickly became choked with traffic as workers tried to get home early. There was a rush at grocery stores as residents stocked up on essential items. Gas pumps shut down.

"We can't get anything in Karachi right now. We might as well be living in a jungle," said Rashid Aslam, a frustrated motorist in central Karachi, complaining that he couldn't fuel his car.

The Karachi Stock Exchange lost 786 points, or nearly 3%, within minutes of the first reports of the arrest but later pared its losses.

As the news of Mr. Hussain's arrest spread, thousands of MQM supporters gathered in a demonstration in Karachi to express their anger, and protests erupted in several other towns in Sindh.

"It is part of a Western conspiracy against the MQM, as we don't toe their line on Karachi," said a protester, who gave his name as Arshad. Many in the party believe claims that Western powers are targeting the party to enable a peace deal with the Afghan Taliban, which has a large presence in Karachi.

Several buses were set on fire and others were damaged, witnesses said. Amid incidents of gunfire, mobs attacked passing vehicles. In some parts of Karachi, protesters set up roadblocks with burning tires, locals said. At least three people were seriously injured, police said.

At MQM headquarters in north Karachi, there were emotional scenes, as followers chanted and clapped in a rising crescendo "Only Altaf," and "Who owns Karachi? Altaf!"

Yet the immediate reaction on the ground in Karachi was far more muted than initially feared, given the street power and ability to generate violence that MQM activists have demonstrated in the past decades.

"We do not support any acts of violence and disown any individuals who may be involved," said Khawaja Izhar ul Hassan, an MQM provincial lawmaker in Karachi. "Despite our big force and strength, we have channeled our workers' anger into peaceful protest."

Amid the unrest, the British consulate in Karachi was closed to the public Tuesday, British diplomats said. A spokesman for the British mission said they "hope to resume a full service again shortly." The U.S. Consulate in Karachi will be closed for visa interviews Wednesday, U.S. diplomats said.

MQM initially told its members that Mr. Hussain hadn't been arrested, but only questioned, by British police, a maneuver that blunted the initial response by the party faithful. "You cannot imagine the reaction if they find out he has been arrested," one senior MQM member said. "No one would be able to control them."

Under the laws of England and Wales, a person can be detained without being charged, usually up to 48 hours, while police investigate further. British police don't release the names of individuals they have detained before charging them.

In a statement, the London Metropolitan Police said officers had arrested a 60-year-old man on suspicion of money laundering at a residential address in northwest London. Mr. Hussain has long lived in a northwest London neighborhood, and other British officials said he was the person referred to by the Metropolitan Police.

U.K. police have been investigating Mr. Hussain's party in London since the murder of a senior MQM politician, Imran Farooq, who had become estranged from the party, on the city's streets in 2010.

As part of that probe, police have examined allegations of money laundering, too, according to British officials. Police searched the party headquarters in London in 2012, where they confiscated GBP140,000 pounds ($234,500), and Mr. Hussain's house in 2013, where they seized another GBP240,000 pounds, party officials say. Mr. Hussain denies any link to the killing of Mr. Farooq, whose murder he condemned.

The party officers said the cash seized at the time was legally acquired via donations from party officials in Pakistan and sent to London, largely via travelers between the two countries. They said they were compelled to operate with cash because of stringent banking regulations for money transfers between Pakistan and the U.K.

Party officials said Mr. Hussain had been admitted to a hospital in London several hours after his detention Tuesday because he suffers from diabetes and a heart condition. Other MQM leaders confirmed an application for Mr. Hussain's bail had been submitted and said they were hopeful he could be released within hours.

Meanwhile, in Karachi, a massive sit-in continued late Tuesday near the mausoleum of Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, close to the city center. Thousands of party workers chanted and clapped as slogans and songs praising Mr. Hussain played on loudspeakers. Some openly wept.

Karachi police allege the MQM raises millions of dollars every year through a well-organized extortion system in Karachi, which sees shops and businesses pay protection money to avoid being attacked by party workers. MQM denies any criminal activity.

Mr. Hussain controls the party from London, running it in minute detail, according to party workers, and often delivering fiery speeches to party rallies in Karachi via a telephone link.

Earlier this year, a court in Sindh convicted several men who the judges said were MQM members for the killing of journalist Wali Khan Babar in Karachi. MQM denies the men are connected to the party.

In recent weeks, Mr. Hussain had applied for a Pakistani passport, according to the MQM and government officials, raising speculation that he planned to leave the U.K., possibly to return to Pakistan or go elsewhere.

The MQM had staged protests over the delay in issuing him the passport and a national identity card. British police arrested Mr. Hussain before he could get a Pakistani passport. Mr. Hussain left Pakistan in 1991, citing threats to his life, and was made a British citizen in 2002. He no longer has a valid Pakistani passport.

A statement from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's office expressed concern over the unrest and said he had directed the Pakistani embassy in London to provide Mr. Hussain with counselor services.

"The government is ready to provide all kinds of legal and moral support to Mr. Altaf Hussain," Mr. Sharif said in the statement.

Qasim Nauman in Islamabad and Margaret Coker in London contributed to this article.

Corrections & Amplifications

Police seized GBP140,000 from MQM's London headquarters in 2012 and GBP240,000 from Mr. Hussain's residence in 2013. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the money was seized Tuesday, when Mr. Hussain was arrested.

Write to Saeed Shah at [email protected]


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