KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said on Friday that Islamic State (IS) militants are bigger threat to Pakistan than Taliban and Al Qaeda, DawnNews reported.

Speaking at a press conference via telephone from London – where he has been living in self-exile for the last two decades – he said that Pakistan was facing a devastating threat in the shape of Islamic State, citing sudden appearance of its flags in the country specifically from southern Punjab to Islamabad.

Hussain said that militants were leaving Taliban outfits to join the new extremist group. “IS is more dangerous than Taliban and Al Qaeda,” he said.

The MQM chief said that his party was the first to raise voice against increasing ‘Talibanisation’ 10 years ago, adding that nobody paid heed to his warnings then.

Lauding the role Pakistan Army was playing in fight against militancy in the country, Hussain said that army on its own cannot save the country from the existing threats and urged masses to put their input as well.