A FAIR bit of confusion surrounds MQM chief Altaf Hussain`s quest to obtain a new Pakistani ID card and passport. While the director general immigration and passports told a Senate standing committee on Monday that no passport request for the Muttahida supremo had been received by the interior ministry, the MQM has cried foul, accusing the government of dillydallying on the matter. One MQM senator went as far as to say that unless Mr Hussain was issued a passport, the party would shut down Karachi for a month. Even if that threat was made in the heat of the moment, it surely must have sent a wave of apprehension rippling across the metropolis. After all, Karachi residents know the kind of damage a day`s unscheduled shutdown can cause to the economy and to everyday routines, not to mention the violence that usually accompanies strikes, shutdowns and days of `mourning`. The cumulative harm a month`s shutdown can cause to Pakistan`s largest city and economic hub can only beimagined. What makes the statement all the more chilling is the fact that the MQM can and does shut down the city whenever it deems fit. Hence party leaders need to be careful when making such statements.

Coming to the root of the controversy, if Mr Hussain has applied for fresh documents the MQM claims he has completed the necessary paperwork with Nadra then his application should be processed. There are claims that rules were bent or broken to facilitate the Muttahida chief, as equipment to capture his fingerprints was reportedly hauled to the MQM Secretariat in London.

Such arrangements are only supposed to be available for the elderly or infirm. If irregularities were committed in the process, the government needs to investigate, though Mr Hussain should not be denied his documents. Whether the MQM chief really does intend to return home if he is issued a new passport after conducting his political activities from the British capital for over two decades is anyone`s guess.