MQM conveys reservations over Karachi operation to Nisar

Published February 13, 2014
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. – File Photo
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. – File Photo

KARACHI: A Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) delegation on Thursday met with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan at Governor House in Karachi and conveyed their reservations regarding ongoing Karachi operation.

Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and Director General (DG) Rangers Major General Rizwan Akhter were also present in the meeting.

According to sources, the MQM delegation comprised of Haider Abbas Rizvi, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Adil Siddiqui and Qamar Naveed presented a list of their party activists who they claimed were illegally pickled up by the law enforcement authorities.

They said that the delegation also showed pictures of tortured bodies of their activists, who they claimed were picked up by the agencies and then later found dead.

The interior minister assured the MQM delegation that ongoing operation was not against the party and their reservations would soon be addressed.

Speaking to media representatives outside the Governor House, Deputy Convener of MQM’s Rabita Committee Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that they conveyed their reservations to the interior minister and he had assured them to resolve these issues.

He said that the ongoing operation was being carried out against MQM and their 11 activists were killed and 40 others had gone missing due to this operation.

Siddiqui said that a proper procedure should be adopted if there was any evidence against their activists. "If someone is a criminal and has political affiliation with our party then first issue his arrest warrant and then arrest him and bring him to justice," he said.

He said that there was no law in the world which permits any law enforcing force to illegally held criminals and torture them to death.

The MQM leader said that his party was staging protests against extrajudicial steps taken by law enforcing personnel in the city.

It is our constitutional right to protest against extrajudicial abductions, missing party workers, torture during arrests and killings of our activists, he said, adding that protests will continue until the issues are resolved.

Siddiqui said that the MQM delegation has demanded Chaudhry Nisar to take action within the parameters of law and he assured them to act on their demands.

Moreover, Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Karachi Shahid Hayat and Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah also met with the interior minister and discussed the ongoing operation in the city.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) leader Imtiaz Shaikh and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Nehal Hashmi also held meetings with Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

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