Yesterday, the most powerful politician in Pakistan has been arrested by London police as part of a money-laundering probe.
Altaf Hussain, who is the 60-year-old head of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or MQM, was taken into a police station in the UK on suspicion of money laundering. A spokesman of the London police confirmed today that a 60 year-old man was kept in a hospital overnight at doctors' request and had remained in the medical facility in police custody. Bloomberg noted that the police spokesman refused to identify the individual arrested yesterday.
However, Hussain's spokesman, Nasir Jamal, confirmed the arrest of the politician over the phone from Karachi.
Bloomberg said Hussain has been living in the UK in the past 22 years after escaping from a 1992 crackdown in Pakistan ordered by then prime minister Nawaz Sharif against criminals. Hussain was quoted as saying that leaders and members of the MQM had been targeted in the crackdown. Last year, Sharif got re-elected as the nation's prime minister.
News on the treatment of Hussain in London had reached Pakistan, and groups of people showed their reaction against the arrest. Karachi police spokesman Atiq Shaikh said over the phone that around 400 people had blocked one of the main streets in Karachi in protest of Hussain's arrest.
President Irshad Bukhari of Karachi Transport Ittehad, who claim that its group represents around 200,000 transportation vehicles in the city, said, "We have kept our vehicles off all roads in a show of support for Altaf Hussain. Hussain is like a brother to us, and we wanted to show the MQM that we are equally worried about him."
Pakistan stocks also took a nosedive over concerns that the politician's trouble with the law could lead to a power vacuum in the city. as Karachi generates around half of the country's revenue. Bloomberg said that Hussain's party won 17 of the 20 Karachi seats in the National Assembly elections, which was held last year.
In an emailed comment, professor for international relations Adil Najam at the Boston University said, "I would expect massive unrest, violence and protests and the city coming to a standstill. A Karachi out of control will not only destabilize the already unstable Pakistan but can have global ripples."
