MQM announces two-day mourning after worker dies in police custody

MQM says Waseem and his two brothers were picked up two days ago from a shop in Baldia Town

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Wednesday announced two days of mourning after they claimed their worker Waseem Dehlavi was tortured to death by the police.

Read: MQM announces day of mourning tomorrow after body of worker found

Doctors confirmed to The Express Tribune that Waseem had suffered severe head injuries after being struck by a "hard and blunt object".

According to Dr Jalil Qadir, Waseem died after suffering from cardio response failure.



Following the incident, IGP Sindh constituted a high level inquiry committee to probe into the case. On the other hand, DIG East has suspended an SHO and other officers that were involved in the incident.

"An inquiry committee has been formed. The SHO and four other policemen involved in the case have been booked in a murder case and have been arrested," SP Gulshan Abid Qaimkhani told The Express Tribune. 



According to the party, Waseem and his two brothers were picked up by the police two days ago from a shop in Baldia Town.

The MQM said that his postmortem proved that he was subjected to third degree torture.

While condemning the alleged killing, the party requested transporters and traders to suspend their activities on Wednesday and Thursday.

Read: Expressing solidarity: Sindh to observe day of mourning on May 13

MQM chief Altaf Hussain also condemned the incident.

'Operation not against target killing but MQM'

MQM leader Kanwar Naveed Jamil while addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening censured the law enforcement agencies, which are conducting the ongoing Karachi operation, saying that it was not against criminals but the MQM.

“Fifty-two of our workers are missing who were rounded up different security agencies,” he said. “Dehlavi’s murder is the 40^th extra-judicial killing of our worker whereas 190 of our workers have been murdered since start of the operation.”