Mr Altaf Hussain, founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) said that he respected the armed forces in the past and do it even now. He further stressed that he respects the Para-Military Rangers, Police and all the State institutions and the officers, soldiers, their brothers and children are equal to ours. He further said that he was not egoistic, I only ask to be heard and address our grievances, provide justices and heal the wounds. He appealed to the Mr Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Federal Interior Minister, General Raheel Sharif, Chief of the Army Staff to provide justice to the family members of the martyred workers of the MQM, immediately release the disappeared and detained workers and unite them with their families who are running from pillar to post for meeting and seeking justice for their loved ones. Addressing, specially to the Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif he asked to listen to the appeals of the victims and provide justice to them.

Mr Altaf Husain expressed these views during his address from London to Lal Qila ground in Azizabad, Karachi to the families of the martyred, arrested and disappeared workers of the MQM who had gathered there in thousands. Heartbreaking, emotive, tearful wailing scenes were observed. The family members of the martyred, arrested and disappeared workers could not control their emotions and burst into tears while narrating the atrocities and traumas they had been through.

Mr Altaf Hussain asserted that despite negative and virulent propaganda, MQM is sustaining during its 37 years of struggle since its inception due to the sacrifices of the martyrs, workers maimed due to brutal torture in custody, underwent inhuman sufferings during incarceration on baseless charges and disappeared workers. Mr Altaf Hussain paying tributes and salute to family members said that despite sufferings and atrocities they are still attached to the Movement. He said thousands of workers were martyred in this righteous struggle who cannot be brought back. Addressing people at the helms of affair and officers of the security agencies asked them to think what would be the state of those or going through whose sons, brothers, fathers or husbands have been martyred, what would be their feelings? He further added that the sentiments of losses of the loved ones are the equal and this needs to be understood.

Mr Altaf Hussain exhorted that all States have laws, police, courts and jails for law and order and peace. There is also law for anyone involved in any unlawful act, wanted in cases or arrested according to law, their cases investigated, charged and present their case in a court of law for trial, if proved guilty he is sentenced in accordance with the law. He further said that he did not oppose lawful acts but only arresting someone for affiliation with the MQM, subjecting him to inhuman torture in custody and instead of presenting in a court of law disappearing or killing him extra-judicially is totally wrong and cannot be justified in any civilised culture or society, hence protested that such acts must not be committed by the Para-Military Rangers or police against its own citizen. He said that a letter was released by Para-Military Rangers through media containing list of 187 MQM persons asking those persons to be surrendered as they were involved in the killing of policemen since 1992 to date. He said that all those present in this gathering are the family members of the martyrs, arrested and disappeared persons who have been waiting for justices for years, amongst them are many whose loved ones have been martyred but their killers have not been arrested till date. Also, present are the relatives of those who had been arrested and made to be disappeared, corpses of some those killed extra-judicially have been recovered while whereabouts of many still unknown to date.

Mr Altaf Hussain said that Chaudhry Shujat Hussain, the then Federal Interior Minister in 1998 admitted on the floor of the Senate that many MQM workers were taken to the hills of Margala and buried during the tenure of Nasirullah Babar but neither the Courts took suo-moto notice nor a Commission was formed to provide justice to the victims. During the present operation several workers have been arrested and disappeared till now and their relatives are running from pillar to post for their recovery. He asked, Is their disappearances fair and lawful and if decisions of this kind took place then peace and reconciliations cannot be reached.