One more MQM activist succumbs to injuries

Six people were injured when the party’s camp was attacked on Tuesday.

HYDERABAD: The casualties from Tuesday night’s attack on an election camp of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) rose to four after another victim, Fayyaz Ahmed alias Cheena, died of his wounds in a hospital on Wednesday.

Unidentified men on two motorcycles opened fire on the party’s camp near Liberty Chowk, Hyderabad, and injured six people, including one passerby, Abdul Razzak Channa.

Two of the activists, Azam Qureshi and Aslam alias Allam, died from their wounds on Tuesday. Qureshi passed way on his way to Civil Hospital, Hyderabad. Allam died while he was being taken to a hospital in Karachi.

A number of members of the MQM, who were led by the party’s zonal in-charge, Muhammad Sharif, arrived at the Civil hospital after the incident and were angered by the absence of the doctors in the emergency ward. The injured were then transferred to Bhittai Hospital, Latifabad, and Rajputana Hospital. Channa, who is the Naib Qasid of Noor Muhammad High School, succumbed to his wounds. The two other people injured in the incident were identified as Bahadar Ali and Shoaib Ajmeri.

MQM’s deputy convener, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, condemned the attack. “The terrorists want to scare the party by attacking its supporters,” he added.

Hyderabad SSP Saqib Ismail Memon felt that there were similarities in the recent attacks on the MQM. He pointed out that all of the attacks had been targeted at the party’s election offices. “The police are hunting the suspects and some of them have been arrested,” Memon added.

The incident happened in the limits of Market police station. The police have yet to register an FIR.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2013.