KARACHI: With business and commercial activities at a standstill in the city in response to a call by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, the MQM buried on Sunday its seven workers and supporters, including two doctors, killed in police custody and incidents of targeted killing.

The MQM staged a sit-in in front of the Chief Minister House after giving the call for a ‘day of mourning’ on Saturday night. As the Sindh CM did not come out to meet the protesters by Sunday morning, party chief Altaf Hussain gave a strike call for Monday also, but withdrew it after a few hours on requests of traders, transporters, school owners, etc.

The joint funeral prayers of three MQM workers and one sympathiser — Syed Faraz Alam, Muhammad Rehan, Abdul Rauf Mehmood and Dr Ali Akbar — were offered at the Jinnah ground in Azizabad in the afternoon, while the funeral prayers of MQM supporters Syed Naeem Jaffery, Syed Jaffer Abbas and Dr Yawar Hussain were held at the Rizvia Imambargah in Nazimabad.

Faraz died in police custody, while bullet-riddled bodies of Rehan, Jaffer and Naeem were found in the Mochko area. Rauf, Dr Akbar and Dr Abbas fell prey to targeted killing.

Moving scenes were witnessed as a large number of MQM workers, office-bearers, lawmakers and relatives of the victims attended the funeral prayers in the Jinnah ground and at the Rizvia Imambargah.

Charged workers accompanying the funeral procession of MQM workers Rehan and Rauf shouted slogans against the government and the law enforcement agencies and buried them in the Shuhda graveyard in Azizabad amid tears and sorrow. The other five victims were buried in different graveyards in Malir, Paposhnagar, Surjani Town and off the Superhighway.

Earlier, the MQM sit-in continued for eight hours in front of the CM House, but no government official, including CM Qaim Ali Shah, came out to meet the protesters.

At 9am Sunday, MQM chief Altaf Hussain, who was speaking to the protesters over telephone from London, gave a 15-minute deadline to the CM asking him to come outside, console the victims’ families and assure them that his government would take action against the killers; otherwise the MQM would extend its ‘day of mourning’ for one more day and call for a complete strike in Sindh for Monday.

The deadline passed but the CM or no other official came outside the CM House and subsequently, the MQM announced that a complete strike would be observed on Monday.

The party also wrapped up its protest sit-in for the funeral of the victims. As soon as the MQM workers vacated the road, Information Minister Sharjeel Memon came outside and told the awaiting media that the government was in touch with the MQM and trying its best to arrest the killers.

He appealed to the MQM chief to review his strike call decision as Monday would be the first day when schools would reopen after the winter break.

With all commercial activities suspended and public transport remaining off the roads, the news of another strike on Monday caused anxiety among businessmen, traders and transporters, who approached the MQM leadership and requested them to review the decision.

Finally, the MQM chief asked the coordination committee to take back the strike call for Monday, but asked them to observe a peaceful ‘day of mourning’.

Mr Hussain asked the coordination committee to leave the issue of “martyred MQM workers” to Allah Almighty and adopt a legal procedure for the arrest of the killers.

He strongly criticised the Sindh CM for not protecting the life and property of citizens and failing to express solidarity with them.

He said it appeared that the government was not serious in arresting the policemen involved in the extrajudicial killing of MQM workers.

Life limps back to normality

The city wore a deserted look till 5pm when Mr Hussain thanked the people, traders and transporters and requested them to resume their activities.

Petrol stations were shut in Karachi and commuters faced difficulty as public transport was not available.

Around 2,000 large buses and 14,000 minibuses and coaches, which operate in the city, were stationed on streets and garages on the MQM appeal.

“We decided to suspend our business on the appeal of the MQM leadership,” said Syed Irshad Bokhari, the chairman of the Karachi Transport Ittehad.

He said none of their vehicles was burnt or damaged.

However, fewer of the some 200,000 taxis and rickshaws were there to serve the people. Since it was a public holiday, it did not hurt those people who needed conveyance for workplaces.

Officials said the strike did not affect the working in hospitals.

Rescue services said their ambulances operated routinely and faced no violence in town.

Traders said they closed their establishments on the MQM appeal and reopened them in the evening.

However, most large markets were closed already because of Sunday.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2015

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