Altaf remarked during a press conference at his party's Edgware office that the judge had overlooked fundamental details of how his party had been taken over by the Karachi leadership, notably Dr Farooq Sattar.
He asserted that after giving his power to Dr Farooq and the Central Coordination Committee voluntarily following his August 22, 2016, speech, Dr Farooq refused to allow him to rejoin the MQM.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Insolvency and Companies Court determined that MQM leader and Federal Minister Syed Aminul Haque has the legal authority to file a claim for the Trust's properties because he represented the real and legitimate MQM, which is based in Pakistan, and is, as a result, a beneficiary of the six London properties.
In his verdict, the judge stated that the MQM founder had left MQM-P following his address on August 23.
Although the British court has a long tradition of fairness and justice, Altaf referred to the ruling as "disappointing, unfair, and startling," adding that "this doesn't mean that a sitting judge can't make a misstep, whether deliberately or unknowingly."
He claimed that the judge had noted that the MQM's founder "established a new association, based in London after August 22, 2016," which is absurd given that he was the party's ideologue, founder, and lifetime leader when he did so nearly 40 years ago in Karachi as a fiery student leader.
"You erased the name of Altaf Hussain from the Constitution of MQM-Pakistan, but my name is written in the hearts of millions of people of the Mohajirs and Pakistan," he said in a speech to his former MQM allies, who are now in charge of the party from Karachi under the leadership of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and the claimant Aminul Haque.
Altaf's solicitor, who accompanied him to the news conference, said: "We were not expecting this type of verdict. We have already begun the process of putting together our appeal since it is the only route forward for us.