Former MQM leader said that police shifted him to a secure location after the shooter made failed attempts on his life. In conversation with several media outlets Nadeem Nusrat said he’s “lucky” to survive an assassination attempt but he didn’t suspect anyone.
Nusrat said that this hate towards him was the result of various hateful videos on YouTube that have been brewing hate over the last three years.
“Two years ago, a local resident was prosecuted and imprisoned for intending to kill me, my wife and Wasay Jalil and today I was assaulted out and about.” Nusrat said.
Talking about the incident MQM’s former leader said that he was going with Voice of Karachi leader, Shahid Farhad on Sunday on Highway 59 South when Farhad recognized a dark SUV attempting to draw nearer to our vehicle. Around then, Nusrat said he was looking into a site on his mobile phone when the assault occurred.
He said, “Farhad saw a hand carrying a handgun rising up out of the back window of the suspicious vehicle. However, at that exact instant, he pulled the brake which led the assailant’s car to accelerate past us, firing at us, which missed us by a few feet.”
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“Multiple shots were fired in our direction. I saw empty bullet shells flying and hitting the front grill of his vehicle. “Farhad intentionally slowed his car to let the other vehicle get away as far as possible. The attackers then sped away on the highway”, Nusrat said.
When asked as to whom he suspected to be behind the attack, Nusrat said the frequency of threats to his life increased after he spoke against “Sindhu Desh” – the slogan now backed by Altaf Hussain’s faction of the MQM.
Congressmen had gotten involved since the attempt made on his life. Farhad said he has also lodged the official report at the local police station and informed the relevant authorities. “The authorities have started an investigation.”
Voice of Karachi (VOK) condemns the attack
#NadeemNusrat #VoiceOfKarachi #VOK #VOK_USA @WarsiBlunt @SaqibMohiuddin @HussainImranVOK @msfarhad
Important video message of Mr @nadeem_nusrat https://t.co/PEIxMXkTTX pic.twitter.com/F17ELxEkqD
— Voice of Karachi (USA) (@VOK_USA) July 13, 2021
The VOK Central Committee in Washington, in a statement, condemned the attack on Nusrat and explained that he was in Houston for an organization-related visit.
“The car was attacked when Nadeem Nusrat was going back after the occasion had finished,” the central committee said, as the investigation concerning the matter started following the recording of an official complaint.
“The attackers can’t avoid the law for a really long time, eventually,” it added.
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Following the attack, the general secretary of VOK, Imran Hussain, had said on Twitter: “I can confirm that multiple shots were fired at Voice of Karachi and SAMAF chairman Nadeem Nusrat’s vehicle this afternoon in Houston, Texas.”
Nadeem Nusrat was once an ally of Altaf Hussain and stayed faithful to him for more than twenty years. He was later sacked from the position a few times and stayed inactive for quite a long time.
He was selected again by the MQM leader and brought over to London a couple of years prior where stayed in charge for the gathering and ran issues of Karachi from London, supporting Altaf Hussain.
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Around three years ago, he headed out in different directions from the MQM and founded his own Wasey group.