KARACHI: A number of localities in the city descended into violence on Wednesday night soon after provincial minister Dr Zulfikar Mirza heaped scorn on Urdu-speaking people and Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain.

In a fiery speech which may widen the growing gulf between the estranged Pakistan People’s Party and MQM, Dr Mirza also confirmed that he had twice met Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) chief Afaq Ahmed and said that if Mr Ahmed was a criminal then Mr Hussain was an even bigger criminal.

“In my view, the real leader of the Mohajir nation is Afaq Ahmed who has been in prison for eight years and not a single case against him has been proved. In fact next to President Asif Ali Zardari he is the biggest political prisoner of the country,” Dr Mirza said while speaking to newsmen at the residence of Awami National Party leader Shahi Syed.

Before being led away by Local Government Minister Agha Siraj Durrani, Dr Mirza urged the people of Karachi and Hyderabad to rise and rid themselves of these ‘kambakht’ (the damned ones).

About the MQM decision of quitting the government, he said the party had miscalculated the situation and played a wrong card on the advice of its friends.

“Now graffiti demanding a separate province has appeared in the city. No-one has the courage to divide Sindh. This was the province which provided you shelter when you came here hungry without clothes.”

Dr Mirza disclosed that at one meeting of the PPP-MQM core committee – which he said was a ‘bore committee’ – Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad had tried to convince him not to own up to meeting Afaq Ahmed. He said he had told Mr Ibad that the MQM-H leader was his prisoner and he was well within his rights to meet him.

As expected, Dr Mirza’s diatribe against Mr Hussain and praise for Mr Ahmed incurred the opprobrium of the MQM whose leader Faisal Subzwari said Dr Mirza’s leader – whom he did not name – was known in the country as Mr 10 per cent and cases against him were filed not only in local courts but also in international courts.

As the night wore on, many city localities echoed with the rattle of gunfire and several vehicles were torched in arson attacks.