KARACHI: Following an ultimatum given to Sindh authorities by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) of taking a ‘tough strategy’ against what the party claimed extrajudicial killings of its workers, former president Asif Ali Zardari and Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Tuesday spoke to MQM supremo Altaf Hussain over phone and assured him that his party’s grievances would be addressed.

Earlier in the day, the MQM’s coordination committee held a hard-hitting press conference in which it condemned the killing of a party worker, Mohammad Adil, who died in the small hours of Tuesday at a hospital.

MQM leaders claimed that Adil had been taken into custody and brutally tortured by Rangers. They later handed him over to his brother in critical condition.

MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi said that 12 workers and sympathisers of the party had been killed and whereabouts of 45 workers were not known following their arrests either by police or Rangers.

He accused police and Rangers of torturing MQM activists in custody, alleging that law-enforcers were showing their hatred and bias towards Muhajirs.

He alleged that MQM worker Fahad Aziz, who was picked up while going to his wedding ceremony, was brutally tortured in custody. The announcement of cash reward by the Karachi police chief for those police personnel who had arrested Fahad betrayed his hatred for the party.

Mr Rizvi claimed that while torturing Fahad, policemen kept telling him that they had killed another MQM worker, Mohammad Salman, and that they would kill him too in a similar manner.

He asked the authorities to inform the MQM within 24 hours about the whereabouts of its 45 workers who had been missing following their arrests.

Those involved in detention of Fahad and killing of other MQM workers be arrested and strict action be taken against them, Mr Rivzi said. “Otherwise we will be compelled to adopt a tough strategy,” he warned.

ZARDARI, QAIM PHONE HUSSAIN: In an attempt to calm down MQM leaders, Asif Ali Zardari and Qaim Ali Shah spoke to Mr Hussain over phone.

According to a statement issued by MQM, Mr Zardari and Mr Hussain discussed law and order in Sindh and “the inhuman acts committed by the police and the Rangers against MQM workers”.

The MQM chief informed Mr Zardari that the arrested workers of his party were being forced to disclose information about workers of the party’s women’s wing.

“Mr Zardari extended his apologies on the inhuman actions of the police and said he would ask the chief minister to take action against the police personnel involved in such brutal and inhuman acts,” said the MQM statement.

Mr Zardari told the MQM chief that everyone living in Sindh was a Sindhi and that they must work together for the progress and prosperity of the province.

Talking to the chief minister, the MQM chief said that his party could not be eliminated by state repression.

He said that Muhajirs were permanent residents of Sindh and wanted to work with others for progress and prosperity of the province, but they were being subjected to state repression under a conspiracy.

He said that police personnel were being avowedly killed by the Taliban and other militant groups, but instead of going after them, law-enforcers were targeting MQM workers and implicating them in false cases.

Mr Hussain asked the chief minister to take note of extrajudicial killings of MQM workers and immediate steps for the recovery of 45 missing MQM workers.

The MQM statement said the chief minister assured Mr Hussain that he had taken notice of the “illegal arrests of MQM workers and torture inflicted on them in custody” and that an inquiry committee had been formed.

Mr Shah said that the people of Sindh would have to work together for fighting the menace of terrorism, according to the MQM statement.