MQM founder writes open letter to scribes of Pak's Punjab province, says they 'legitimised' enforced disappearances of minorities

Founder and leader of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain on Monday wrote a letter to the journalists belonging to Pakistan's Punjab province amid the ongoing media curbs in the country.

In an open letter addressed to the journalist of Punjab, Hussain said, "the journalists belonging from Punjab now can better realise the pain and agony of oppressed nations of Pakistan. ...The colour of blood in all humans is same. The feeling of pain and agony that results from slapping, boxing, kicking, beating with rods or any other torture devices is the same."

The letter comes in the backdrop of an attack on Pakistani journalist Asad Ali Toor.

Toor, who has critical views of the country's establishment, was attacked at his apartment in Islamabad last week. He had said members of the country's spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), could be behind the brutal attack on him.

Speaking on the issue of recent attacks on journalists, Hussain said "that sadly, journalists from Punjab had not been impartial and reported against those Baloch, Sindhi, Pashtun and Muhajir who fell prey to oppression and barbarism, supported the aggressors and the oppressors."

Accusing the Punjabi journalists of "suppressing the voices of minority", the MQM founder alleged that those scribes "welcomed and legitimised" the enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of minorities in Pakistan.

Further slamming the scribes, Hussain said that now journalists from Punjab can better realise the "pain and agony of those oppressed" who took to streets and opted to go on strikes against atrocities. "But the majority of them justified the atrocities of the Army, ISI, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary," he added.

( With inputs from ANI )

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