Missing members: MQM issues will be addressed, says President

Says no one will be allowed to victimise any political party, its workers.

KARACHI:

Following Muttahidda Quami Movement’s (MQM) ultimatum against the forced disappearance of its workers, President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain met with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan to assure him the party’s grievances would be resolved. 

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed Interior Minister ChaudhryNisar to visit Karachi.And he is coming to the city on Thursday (today) to hold meeting with the MQM leaders, Sindh government, police, Rangers and personnel of intelligence agencies,” said the president.

He was talking to reporters after meeting Ebad at the Governor House on Wednesday.

Mamnoon said maintaining law and order in Karachi was the top priority of the federal government, but no one would be allowed to victimise any political party and its workers.

“This is an action against the criminals, not political activists,” he said, adding that operation against the criminals in Karachi would continue.



Sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune that Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had also telephoned Sindh governor to take back their decision to hold protests and assured him that their issues would be resolved.

The MQM leaders, however, demanded the final date for the release of their workers. “The final decision is likely to be made at a meeting between the MQM leaders and the interior minister at the Governor House today,” said a senior official familiar with the development.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2014.