LONDON/LAHORE: Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain accused "civilian governments and undemocratic forces" of "joining hands to employ legal and illegal tactics to snatch Karachi away from the MQM", according to a statement posted on the party's website.

The remarks were made in a telephonic address to MQM Punjab President Senator Mian Ateeq and the MQM Organising Committee during which Hussain said, "Civilian and non-civilian governments have allied to jointly conduct operations to put an end to the MQM repeatedly."

The MQM supremo said Pakistan's civilian and non-civilian institutions had not learnt any lessons even after the MQM's "historic NA-246 victory" in the by-elections for the hotly-disputed constituency earlier this year.

He added that these institutions had left no stone unturned in order to defeat the MQM during the by-elections, and said, "No one can capture Karachi by means of conspiratorial tactics."

Earlier this week, the MQM supremo accused Director General Sindh Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar of violating the army's code of conduct, following which, multiple First Information Reports were lodged against him ─ for what the government regards as 'inflammatory speech' ─ in various parts of Sindh.

“We are not against the army; we are against the rotten eggs in the institution... Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif should save Pakistan and throw out the rotten eggs who have embezzled billions of rupees like civilians,” he had said.

Read more: Nisar slams Altaf for 'intolerable' remarks against security forces

Last week, as the Rangers' stay in the province was set to expire, Altaf demanded a referendum to gauge support for the paramilitary force's presence.

Read more: CM hints at striking a bargain with Rangers for stay extension

The Sindh government extended the special policing powers assigned to Rangers in Karachi for a month, rather than the usual four months. The DG Rangers tweeted that the force would continue the "Karachi Law Enforcement Operation ... till its logical conclusion is achieved."

Read more: Sindh govt extends Rangers' special powers for a month