MQM leader urges world leaders to take note of Imran Khan’s statement as he declares Osama a `martyr’

Muttahidda Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain has asked world leaders to take serious note of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s declaration of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as a martyred hero.

“Pakistan’s PM has held Laden in high esteem after declaring him a hero whom the US Marines had martyred in an ambush. The international community should be serious on what Pakistan’s PM has asserted,” said Altaf.

Speaking in the national assembly in June, Imran Khan shocked many when he called slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden a “shaheed” (martyr). Khan said American forces entered Pakistan and killed Osama – “shaheed kar diya (martyred him)” – without informing Islamabad, after which everyone started abusing Pakistan.

The MQM leader said, “Osama bin Laden was most wanted international terrorist who unleashed terrorism around the world but Pakistani PM Imran Khan declares him a hero and hence the world leaders should reconsider their relationship with PM Imran Khan and Pakistan”.

It was not a secret that Laden was hiding in Pakistan under an iron-shielded safe haven in close vicinity of Kakul, the military academy of Pakistan. However, Pakistani establishment and the Pakistani government kept on rejecting the presence of Osama in Pakistan.

Then, in May 2011, Osama bin Laden was killed in a military operation by US Navy Seals at the Garrison town in Abbottabad.

Hussain said that many religious and political leaders in Pakistan have openly supported Osama, Al-Qaeda and Taliban terrorists and Pakistan’s PM Imran Khan is one of them.

“The US, UK, EU and the entire civilised world had fought against terrorism for many years but Imran Khan was declaring Osama a martyred hero,” he said.

Hussain said that he had first explained to the people the fact that ‘Talibanisation’ was taking place in the country and the Taliban were formed by the military establishment of Pakistan.

“They carried out bombings, suicide attacks on mosques and Imam dargahs in all cities of Pakistan and even captured the army headquarters, GHQ, but the army and the `jihadi’ madrassas that produced them, who did terrorism in the name of jihad, no action was taken against the rioting mullahs (clerics)”, Hussain said.

Talking about the escape of terrorist Ehsanullah Ehsan, who claimed responsibility for the massacre of hundreds of innocent children and teachers at Army Public Schools in Peshawar and hundreds of terrorist incidents across the country, Hussain said that “Ehsan has escaped from the captivity of the army while the sad fact is that the body of a detainee is either recovered from the custody of the army or comes out as disabled”.

He said that no prisoner can escape from the captivity of the army, no matter how powerful he may be. “In fact, the detention and release of Ehsan was part of a deal that proved that Taliban are equally complicit in the massacre across the country”.

Hussain said that Pakistan’s army is basically a mercenary army that goes around the world to kill people for the interests and wealth of the great powers. “The army fired on the Ka’aba, massacred thousands of Palestinians in Jordan, goes to Somalia and kills Muslims there and now it is killing the oppressed Muslims there in Yemen”.