Serious allegations: MQM workers tortured in Karachi jail, says Farooq Sattar

Urges prime minister, army chief to take notice of the matter

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) upped the ante in its battle of recriminations with the Rangers, accusing the paramilitary force officials of torturing several under-trial members of the party in jail. It also called upon the government and the army chief to take immediate notice of the matter.

“Around 40 under-trial MQM workers were beaten up in jail and were forced to give ‘favourable’ statements,” senior MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar told reporters at the Khursheed Begum Secretariat near the party’s headquarters at Nine-Zero in Azizabad.

He was accompanied by MQM coordination committee members Saleem Afridi, Zahid Mansoori, Rehana Nasreen and Mehfozyar Khan.



Sattar claimed that two days ago a heavy contingent of Rangers along with Karachi Central Jail superintendent and deputy superintendent took out around 40 MQM workers from their cells in barracks 18, 19, 24 and 25 and beat them.

These under-trial prisoners, Sattar claimed, were forced to give favourable statements and fill performas on changing their political allegiance after which they were locked in solitary confinement.

The MQM senior deputy convener stated that these 40 MQM members, who are in prison on various charges, were political prisoners who had observed prison rules. But by putting these prisoners in solitary confinement, he argued, their human rights were violated.

Sattar said that party activists, leaders and lawmakers were receiving mysterious calls from unknown numbers in which they were asked in threatening tones to switch their political affiliations.

Similarly, Sattar said family members of workers who had gone missing were being asked to visit the ‘new bungalow’ – Mustafa Kamal’s new residence in Defence – for whereabouts of their loved ones.

He called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and COAS General Raheel Sharif to take notice of the matter.

“We consider the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP leadership’s silence over unconstitutional treatment of a political force as criminal negligence on their part,” he added.

Sattar said the way party activists were being tortured and intimidated to join a new group was similar to what happened in 1992.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2016.