KARACHI: In a rare display of mutual recrimination, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Rangers lashed out at each other after the paramilitary force raided an MQM office and claimed to have seized ‘Indian military weapons’ on Tuesday.

Earlier in the morning, the Rangers carried out raids in the Quaidabad and Landhi areas and arrested three suspected hit men. The paramilitary troops later raided a place in Landhi No 5, took into custody 14 ‘criminals affiliated with a political group’ and claimed to have seized arms, including an Indian-made light machine gun, according to a Rangers spokesperson.

The Rangers did not name the political group or disclose the place from where they had arrested ‘14 criminals’.

However, later in the day, the MQM held a press conference at the same place in Landhi and alleged that the Rangers illegally raided a public contact office of MQM lawmakers, ransacked the furniture, took away valuables and public documents before writing abusive and provocative sentences against MQM leadership on the walls of the office.

Speaking at the press conference, MQM leader Dr Sagheer Ahmed said that the Rangers carried out an ‘illegal raid’ at 7am on the office of MQM MNA Asif Hasnain despite the fact that the federal and provincial governments had assured the party that no raid would be carried out on the offices of any political party and the ongoing operation against criminals would not be politicised.

He said that more than 15 workers and sympathisers of the MQM had been arrested in the Rangers raid. “We have showed patience despite the fact that our workers and supporters are being arrested and subjected to brutal torture before they are handed over to their families.”

He said that the Rangers and police should take action against those black sheep involved in torturing innocent people.

Accompanied by other MQM leaders, Dr Ahmed was of the view that irresponsible and unjust actions were being taken to provoke peaceful people of Karachi and to sabotage the efforts for restoring peace to Karachi.

He said that the MQM was not against the operation and appealed to the authorities, including the Rangers director general, to take notice of a conspiracy to politicise the operation and to take legal action against those involved in arresting and torturing innocent citizens.

Later in what appeared to be a tit-for-tat statement a Rangers spokesman termed the MQM press conference an attempt to mislead the people of Karachi and said that the recovery of Indian weapons from a so-called political party office was proof of existence of anti-state elements in the ranks and files of political parties.

“Can Dr Sagheer inform the hapless people of Karachi why were Indian weapons kept in a political office?” asked the Rangers spokesperson.

He said that the paramilitary force had conducted more than 1,000 operations in the city.

“It’s not our tradition to stoop so low in our conduct… looting of office equipment and other items and wall chalking must have been done by criminals within the ranks of the political party,” said the spokesperson, adding, that “this kind of tactics will not deter Rangers resolve to fight crime and terrorism in the city and we pledge to provide peace to all Karachiites”.

In response to the alleged recovery of Indian-made weapons, an MQM spokesperson rejected the allegation and demanded that the president, the prime minister, the army chief, the ISI director general and the Rangers chief to take notice of the false allegation.

“Such false and fabricated allegations after our press conference proved that it is part of a campaign to malign the MQM,” said the spokesperson. “The MQM is a patriotic party and levelling such false allegations is highly regrettable.”