17 arrested as police raid Sunni Tehreek head office on extortion charges in Karachi

PST condemns police action on Qadri House; announces nationwide protests

KARACHI:

The Special Investigation Unit, in coordination with the police, raided Qadri House — the Nazimabad residence of Pakistan Sunni Tehreek chief Sarwat Ejaz Qadri — and detained 17 people, including two key suspects allegedly involved in extortion. Of those detained, eight were found to have prior criminal records.

SSP SIU Dr Imran Khan said the raid was carried out on the basis of intelligence information. During the raid, two suspects, identified as Jawad Qadri, alias Wajah Qadri, and Mulla Shahzaib, were arrested for their alleged involvement in extortion activities.

SSP Khan further stated that the suspects were associated with an extortion gang led by most-wanted criminals Abdul Samad Kathiawari and Wasiullah Lakho. A large cache of weapons, including three rifles, sub-machine guns (SMGs) and handguns, was also recovered from the premises.

The SSP said the arrested suspects were involved in several extortion cases. He clarified that PST chief Sarwat Ejaz Qadri was not arrested during the raid. Legal proceedings against the suspects are under way, and so are further investigations.

In a separate statement, the SIU said the raid was conducted on the identification of Rehanuddin, an extortionist who had earlier been arrested in an injured condition following a police encounter.

Rehanuddin was also involved in extortion and firing incidents in the Jamshed Quarters area. Acting on information provided by him, SIU/CIA police raided Qadri House and detained several suspects, including Jawad Qadri, alias Wajah Qadri and Mulla Shahzaib.

SSP Khan said heavy weapons were recovered from the arrested suspects, many of whom have previous criminal records. He added that the suspects were operating an extortion network run by Abdul Samad Kathiawari and Wasiullah Lakho and were wanted by police in several cases.

SSP Khan went on to add that Rehanuddin had earlier spent four years in jail in an extortion case and had also contested the general elections as an independent candidate.

He said that among the five to six extortion groups currently operating in the city, this gang was the most active, and its arrest is expected to help curb extortion incidents.

Sunni Tehreek condemns police raid on Qadri House

Strongly protesting the police raid on Qadri House, Pakistan Sunni Tehreek termed it unlawful and a violation of the sanctity of the home.

Addressing a news conference, Qadri alleged that the police had breached the sanctity of the four walls and behaved disrespectfully towards women during the raid. He said the PST leadership strongly condemned the police action, describing it as unacceptable and unconstitutional.

He claimed that the weapons recovered from the house were licensed and legal, adding that had any person been involved in criminal activity, they would have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies.

“My family was dishonoured. We have always condemned terrorism and have rendered sacrifices for the country,” he said, demanding action against the entire police team involved in the raid.

He warned that protests would be held nationwide if action was not taken. He also thanked the state authorities who contacted them immediately and assured full cooperation, saying, “We are peaceful and will remain peaceful, but we cannot tolerate injustice against our people.”

Speaking alongside Qadri, PST Central Secretary General Sahibzada Allama Bilal Saleem Qadri Shami reiterated that the recovered weapons belonged to them and were licensed and legal. He said the party had always cooperated with law enforcement agencies and would have facilitated the arrest of any of its members found involved in criminal activity.

He strongly condemned the raid on Qadri House and said that if the Sindh government intended to take action against them, it should have brought fresh allegations instead of reviving cases dating back 15 to 20 years.

He alleged that police firing during the raid created fear and panic, adding that such actions would not intimidate the party leadership. “We are patriotic people,” he said, while announcing nationwide protests.

He further claimed that Sarwat Ejaz Qadri’s son and nephew, along with members of the household staff, were taken into custody during the raid.