KARACHI: Former MPA of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) Sadaqat Hussain came on the radar on Friday when a video of him along with his aides ‘threatening’ a private school staff, including female teachers, allegedly in order to ‘facilitate cheating’ during ongoing matric exams in Orangi Town, went viral on social media.

The incident compelled the MQM-P to suspend his membership and order an inquiry into the matter with an announcement to make findings of the probe public.

It all started with a cell phone-captured video which went viral on social media platforms with few details of the incident.

Those who spread the video claimed that Mr Hussain along with his aides was putting pressure on the staff of the private school, which was serving as one of exmanation centres of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC), to facilitate in “cheating” and “help students solve the examination papers”.

Video goes viral; Muttahida says Sadaqat Hussain’s membership has been suspended until completion of inquiry

A less-than-minute video showed Mr Hussain and a female staffer involved in heated arguments while a male staff member was recording the episode.

The female staffer was heard questioning the “authority” of Mr Hussain for issuing her orders. Upon which within a few seconds, Mr Hussain was seen turned harsh pointing finger at the lady and asking her to “stay in her limits”.

As the two were involved in heated arguments, apparently an aide to Mr Hussain, moved towards the male member of the staff recording the incident on his cell phone and tried to snatch his phone asking him “not to make the video”.

The staffer declined to stop recording which led to a scuffle between the two people.

Meanwhile, people from both sides gathered there in the room and started exchanging hot words when one of them was heard saying, “Sadadqat Bhai, you’re representing MQM here. We would talk to Anis Qaimkhani [senior MQM-P leader] Bhai and lodge your complaint”.

This apparently made Mr Hussain more furious and he grabbed one of the male staff members from his neck and started thrashing him before people in the room moved forward and rescued him.

Interesting, during the entire episode a couple of armed policemen were seen inside the room, but they hardly intervened to control the situation and only one of them asked Mr Hussain to leave when the situation turned tense after the scuffle between the two sides.

As the video took the internet by storm, it pushed the MQM-P to come up with a reaction.

In a brief statement, the MQM-P spokesman said that the party taking notice of the incident had suspended the membership of Mr Hussain.

“The MQM-P has initiated an inquiry against Mr Hussain,” he said in a statement.

“The MQM-P is the strongest voice against the cheating mafia and it cannot tolerate that any of its member, leader, office bearer or legislator becomes part of such mafia or intervene in any government function. Mr Hussain’s membership will remain suspended till the findings of the inquiry committee which will be made public through media.”

Hussain denies any wrongdoing Mr Hussain, on the other hand, came up with his side of the story.

His close circle claimed that the school in the question was owned by a paternal uncle of the former MPA and “it wasn’t serving” as any SSC examination centre.

“The owner of the school, who is a paternal uncle of Mr Hussain, called him for his help after parents of one of the students stormed into the school with unknown people following a notice issued by the school management to those parents over non-payment of fee of their child,” said a social media post that was made viral to counter the earlier story.

The post claimed that the matter was ‘resolved’ amicably after the parents of that student “offered unconditional apology” for their misbehaviour and it was filed in the respective police station.

The CCTV footage, it said, of the incident was also saved to back the claim of Mr Hussain, it said.

They also shared a copy of the “patch up” document signed by both parties under police supervision.

An official at the SSP west office said the both sides “agreed” to a compromise and informed the police to wave charges against each other.

According to the signed document, a dispute between Mr Hussain and other side developed when the former MPA intervened in the matter between them and the private school management, which was nothing to do with cheating during the SSC exams.

It said that the parents of one of the students enrolled with the school were complaining over delay in issuance of admit card of SSC exam of their child and Mr Hussian was supporting the school management.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2024