Sneak attack: Two MQM-London leaders re-arrested

Professor Hassan Arif and Amjadullah Khan were arrested shortly after their release from central jail

KARACHI: In a surprising development, police on Tuesday rearrested Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - London leaders Professor Hassan Zafar Arif and Amjadullah Khan shortly after their release from Karachi's central jail.

Both leaders were later shifted to the Nazimabad police station, however, officials at the Nazimabad police station, including SHO Faizul Hassan and Station Investigation Officer Zulqarnain, were reluctant to admit to the arrests when contacted. However, District Central SSP Muqaddas Haider confirmed the news.

"The MQM leaders have been booked in FIR No 205/16 pertaining to hate speech, registered at the Azizabad police station on behalf of the Rangers before their preventive detention," disclosed SSP Haider.

A score of relatives of the leaders gathered outside Central Jail, Karachi to welcome them and bring them back to their homes, however, before they could welcome them, an extra contingent of District Central police reached the prison and took them into their custody and shifted them to the police station in an armoured personnel carrier (APC). This caused the crowd to stage a protest against the re-arrest, as they said the leaders had served the duration of their punishment.

In October, the Rangers had arrested senior leader of the Altaf Hussain-led MQM Prof Arif from outside the Karachi Press Club. Khan, who remained inside the press club for four hours, was arrested once he left the building in the evening.

The MQM-London faction is being operated from the British capital, while another MQM faction, MQM-Pakistan is currently working under Dr Farooq Sattar.

Dr Arif and Khan were detained for 30 days under the maintenance of public order by the interior ministry. The case was lodged with the Artillery Maidan police, in which MQM - London leaders - Prof Arif, Kunwar Khalid Younus and Khan - were booked on charges of instigating people to violence and chanting slogans against the country. They were shifted to Karachi Central Jail where they completed their sentence before Tuesday's re-arrest.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2016.