Illustration by Minhaj Ahmed Rafi
Police filed case against MQM chief after a woman complained about footage of him allegedly explaining intercourse to workers in Karachi.
The exiled chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement is facing investigation for allegedly talking about sex to a group of male and female staff, police said Saturday.
Altaf Hussain, the head of MQM, had been filmed explaining intercourse to the workers in Karachi via phone from London, according to police. A woman who saw the footage online of the alleged talk alerted police, who have now filed a case against Hussain.
“We have registered a case against Altaf Hussain and 20 of his party colleagues under the charges of publicly uttering immodest words after a woman named as Nasreen filed an application against them,” said Rao Muhammad Anwar, senior superintendent of police in the Malir area of Karachi.
In a statement to authorities, Nasreen wrote she had been browsing the Internet when she came across the clip of Hussain, addressing a mixed group of staff. “He was publicly telling the women about the sexual contact between male and female and his party workers were also repeating his words. It seems that he was intoxicated,” she said.
Anwar said other MQM leaders, including members of Parliament and the party’s candidate for Karachi mayor, were facing investigation over allegations such as organizing the meeting and repeating Hussain’s words.
But a spokesman for MQM hit back, saying the investigation was unconstitutional. “Our party is a law abiding party which believes in peaceful struggle and these kind of cases against party leadership is against the Constitution of the country. We will face it in the court,” said Amin-ul-Haq, who is also named in the case.
The party refused to comment on the accusations.
Talking publicly about sex is taboo in conservative Muslim Pakistan, but is not illegal.
The MQM, which is run by Hussain from London, is the main political party in Karachi, a city of 20 million. It represents an ethnic migrant community and is the fourth largest party in the Lower House of Parliament with 23 members. But it has long been blamed for ethnic violence in Karachi and has clashed repeatedly with the authorities.
A court has slapped a complete ban on the broadcast or publication of Hussain’s speeches in the national media.