Rangers grill MQM workers for forcefully taking Fitra

However, MQM denies the charges, saying collecting Fitra is not a crime

KARACHI: The Rangers informed an anti-terrorism court on Thursday about 90-day preventive detention of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) worker grilled on accusations of “forcefully taking Fitra from public”.

According to the Rangers officials, the suspect – Shahid, son of Abdul Shakoor – was arrested on Wednesday from Karachi’s Garden area after the paramilitary force received information against him of threatening people to pay him Fitra as the act was tantamount to extortion.

The Rangers personnel along with their legal team presented the suspect before the ATC-III and submitted that they had ‘credible information’ against him for his involvement in target killing, extortion, kidnapping and other acts of terrorism. The Rangers did not produce 16 other MQM workers arrested in a raid at party’s Gulbahar sector office Wednesday night.

MQM stance

Meanwhile, the MQM questioned that under which law or constitution it is a crime for a charitable organisation to collect Fitra and Zakat for charity purposes.

The party lambasted the Rangers’ Wednesday night raid at its Gulbahar sector and arrest of workers including the sector in-charge.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2015.