LAHORE - MQM chief Altaf Hussain, who Dr Farooq Sattar claims has been sidelined, is in ‘contact’ with Muttahida leaders in Pakistan, warning them against deserting and urging to stay put until the ‘help’ arrives, The Nation has learned.

Leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, who requested not to be named, said yesterday that Altaf is very much in contact with the party leaders here and claiming that certain international powers would intervene to give some shield to MQM if situation deteriorates further.

He is saying that opponents of Muttahida would be dealt with force. He is telling his men to lay low for some time only to wreck havoc on “our opponents no matter which segment they belong to” at a later time, the MQM leaders quoted him saying.

As the endgame of Altaf’s reign of terror is nearing, he is employing propaganda to influence Muttahida leaders back home, said the security agencies’ officials when asked about their readiness to deal with Altaf’s threats to his party men.

State security services are closely monitoring the MQM leadership in Pakistan and are ready to deal with any security situation in Karachi and elsewhere, the officials said.

No foreign power can request the government for going slow while dealing with Muttahida issue as lot of dossiers have been made available by the intelligence agencies on the anti-state activities that Altaf and his cronies have carried out with the connivance of known enemies of Pakistan, they added.

It is in the knowledge of the key intelligence services that Altaf and some other MQM leaders are trying to involve certain international powers in the situation that emerged from Altaf’s treasonous statement on August 22, they said.

The officials added that MQM leaders who are conniving with Altaf and still working against the interest of the state will not succeed and they will be taken to task.

No key political personality had intervened for the release of MQM leaders as the security services have been given a freehand to deal with anti-state elements, said the security agencies’ officials when asked about federal government intervention to free MQM leaders.

MQM Pakistan leadership had promised the security agencies that they would denounce the ‘traitor element’ in loud and clear words but this has not happened so far, they said. Dr Farooq Sattar and his inner circle seem to be dodging the authorities with regard to their promises but it could not work for long, they added.

MQM leaders under the lead of Dr Farooq made some promises regarding transformation of the party and delinking it completely from Altaf and his henchmen which is supposed to help hunting down militants in MQM folds and identifying the anti-Pakistan elements.

The party has yet to establish its pro-Pakistan credentials after the August 22 episode of Altaf’s seditious speech inciting MQM activists to target the security forces, the media houses and other opponents.

Dr Farooq Sattar and other party leaders who had organised August 22 meeting had reportedly also given their nod to Altaf’s all criminal directions.

MQM leaders should have announced to register treason case against Altaf for inciting his party men to attack the national institutions and talk about dismembering Pakistan. They can still launch case against Altaf in Pakistan and London for his treasonous acts against the country, the security officials said.

There is a zero-tolerance policy while dealing with anti-state elements and the case of MQM is not different, they said. Urdu-speaking community card won’t work anymore. MQM leaders have to establish their credentials by their actions. They have been given an opportunity to redeem themselves and nothing more than that, they added.