PML-F cries foul over 'gunpoint politics'

Claims MQM-P behind armed attacks on offices as Karachi's political temperature rises

KARACHI:

In a teeming metropolis of over 30 million with a long history of political and sectarian violence, fresh tensions appear to be surfacing amid what the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) claims is a concerted attempt to stifle its political re-emergence.

The party alleged on Wednesday that its offices and workers were targeted in armed attacks, leaving at least 10 activists injured. "Armed men opened fire on our party workers during the inauguration of a new office in Baldia Town late Sunday night," PML-F Sindh's Secretary General Sardar Abdul Rahim claimed while addressing an emergency press conference at the party's Clifton office. He said the injured workers were later taken into custody from hospitals, with police registering cases against them instead of acting against the attackers. "This is clear injustice and reflects political pressure on law enforcement agencies," he added.

Sardar Rahim alleged that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement–Pakistan was behind the attacks, adding that a similar incident had taken place a week earlier in Surjani Town, where another PML-F's office was targeted. He said his party had reached out to MQM-P leaders, including Farooq Sattar and Anees Qaimkhani, in an attempt to defuse tensions, but violence persisted despite those efforts.

Describing the situation as part of a broader pattern, Rahim said "vindictive politics" was on the rise not only in Karachi but across Sindh, with PML-F workers allegedly being implicated in false cases. He also accused the PPP and MQM-P of "acting in tandem" to create instability, claiming that growing public support for the PML-F had unsettled rival parties.

Questioning the police action, Sardar Rahim said it was illogical to accuse his party's workers of firing when they themselves had sustained injuries. He demanded that cases be registered against those responsible for the attacks and that the culprits be brought to justice.

Meanwhile, the MQM-P central committee has said that the attack is a clear sign of worsening law and order in the city, raising serious questions over the performance of the provincial government and police.

In a statement, the central committee demanded the immediate arrest of those involved in the firing incident and called for strict punishment for the perpetrators.