KARACHI: Water is being poured on a woman hit by heatwave after she was brought to the Jinnah Hospital on Thursday. She and other patients were stopped from being taken to the Emergency Ward because of security arrangements made for PTI chief Imran Khan who visited the hospital.—PPI

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Thursday to answer the questions raised in a recent foreign media report about its link with India and added that if it failed to do so, violence as the MQM’s policy and its relations with the neighbouring country would become a proven fact.

Addressing a press conference after ‘cutting short’ his visit to London to express solidarity with the victims of recent heatwave in Karachi, Mr Khan criticised MQM chief Altaf Hussain for his speech in India years ago where he termed the creation of Pakistan a ‘blunder’.

He claimed that Mr Hussain was specially invited by the Indian government on the recommendation of its intelligence agency RAW.

“The allegations levelled in the BBC report are very serious,” he said.

MQM asked to answer allegations raised in BBC report

“I wonder over Altaf Hussain’s speech in India where he declared that the creation of Pakistan was a blunder. Later I was told that he [Altaf Hussain] was invited to that conference on the recommendation of RAW. Now it’s time for MQM to prove that the allegations are wrong or otherwise they stand proven against them.”

The PTI chief held federal and provincial governments responsible for the recent deaths in Karachi and other parts of Sindh because of the heatwave and power cuts, saying the authorities had lost credibility to stay in power.

“Karachi is a part of Pakistan and business capital of our country,” he said. “How can a federal minister say that it is not his responsibility when it comes to governance in any part of the country? The power minister should have some shame and courage to accept the responsibility. And if he has some shame left, he should resign.”

He called the PPP leadership a ‘royal family’ and, referring to the recent departure of Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Faryal Talpur to Dubai, said that they all had left the country leaving poor people of their province to die in the punishing heat amid power failures and water shortage.

“It’s a strange country where the prime minister and chief of the opposition party have transferred their assets and wealth to foreign countries and none of them is ready to even think about their people,” he added.

Mr Khan, along with other party leaders, earlier visited the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and met heatstroke patients.

During the visit, he was briefed by the officials about the situation during the past few days at the health facility.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2015

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