MQM offices razed in Karachi

Party flags, posters vanish from Sindh urban centres

HYDERABAD/ KARACHI: Authorities in Karachi demolished on Thursday a number of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) offices ‘built on encroached lands’, as flags of the party and posters bearing the photograph of its chief vanished from neighbourhoods in both the port city and Hyderabad.

Five MQM unit offices in the Bhains Colony, Quaidabad, Tariq bin Ziyad Society, Ahsanabad and Mosamiyat areas were bulldozed by the police, SSP Malir Rao Anwar told The Express Tribune. “The action has been taken on orders from the Sindh chief minister [Murad Ali Shah],” he said, adding that there was a crackdown underway across the city against such offices built illegally on amenity plots.



“We have put up a Pakistan flag on each demolished site to give message that the law enforcement agencies will knock down anything that stood against the sovereignty of this country,” he said.

A Chief Minister’s House official confirmed that Murad Ali Shah had ordered authorities ‘a few days ago’ to remove encroachments on parks and demolish political offices built on these places. He, however, said the order was not linked to action against a particular organisation or party but against all elements who were illegally occupying amenity land.

According to some media reports, similar action will be taken against party offices established in government offices and in educational institutions. This, however, could not be confirmed independently.

Meanwhile, MQM flags and posters featuring the image of party chief Altaf Hussain were removed from the party’s Nine Zero headquarters in Karachi, its adjoining areas – including Jinnah Ground and Mukka Chowk – and several neighbourhoods in Hyderabad. An MQM statement said the action was carried out by unidentified individuals.



In Hyderabad, hours after the unidentified persons started the removal, municipal authorities joined in the action under Sindh government directives.

MQM lawmakers arrested

Problems kept piling up for the MQM on Thursday as police arrested party MPA Sheraz Waheed for allegedly distributing CDs of ‘Altaf Hussain’s hate speeches’. SITE Superhighway SHO Asmatullah Marwat confirmed the arrest, saying TV personality Amir Liaquat Hussain was also nominated in the FIR.

According to unconfirmed reports, MQM MNA Asif Hasnain was also reportedly taken into custody by law enforcement agencies as he was trying to board a flight to Islamabad. Neither police nor Rangers confirmed this.

Three other MQM leaders, including MNA Kanwar Navid Jameel, Shahid Pasha and Qamar Mansoor, and more than 30 workers were sent on an additional day of physical remand by the anti-terrorism courts administrative judge in a case pertaining to attacking a media house.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 26^th, 2016.