KARACHI, Feb 15: Ignoring the protest lodged on the issue by the MQM, the Sindh government on Friday withdrew bounty it had earlier announced for the arrest of eight suspected gangsters said to be affiliated with the banned People’s Amn Committee.

The names of Umair Katchi, Fahim, Sheraz alias Comrade, Abdul Jabbar alias Jhengo, Faisal Pathan, Rashid Bangali, Mullah Nisar and Rashid son of Ghulam Hussain Lond have been withdrawn from the list of people carrying reward money for their arrest, said a notification issued by the home department.

Sources said the eight were booked in dozens of criminal cases, including murder, attempted murder, attack on police, and some of them had been declared proclaimed offenders by courts.

They said the decision to withdraw the reward money, ranging between Rs1 million and Rs300,000, was a first step towards withdrawal of FIRs against them.

A government official told Dawn that the withdrawal of the reward money and withdrawal of FIRs against the suspects were two different things. “The government has not withdrawn any case against the eight men.”

However, the move would further widen the gulf between the MQM and the Pakistan People’s Party and may jeopardise their alliance in the province. The MQM had boycotted the in-camera session of the Sindh Assembly on Thursday and also stayed away from Friday’s proceedings in protest over a move to withdraw cases against Lyari gangsters.—Staff Reporter