Springing into action: Over 150 men held in overnight raids
MQM complains more about police attitude than arrest of workers.
While the political parties appreciated the raids, all of them condemned the manner in which the police conducted itself during the operation. The law enforcers misbehaved with the women and children, according to residents. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
More than 150 leaders, workers and supporters of four political parties in the city were apprehended during unannounced overnight raids on Thursday.
The detainees belonged to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST), the outlawed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC) and the Kutchi Rabita Committee (KRC). The MQM and ANP workers form the majority as around 100 people associated with each party were arrested from districts Malir, South and West.
While the political parties appreciated the raids, all of them condemned the manner in which the police conducted itself during the operation. The law enforcers misbehaved with the women and children, according to residents.
“It seems as if it was a show of strength by the police,” said MQM deputy convener Engineer Nasir Jamal. “They tried to enforce their writ upon the people.” Jamal told The Express Tribune that a large number of their workers were taken into custody, including the chief and joint-chief of their units in district East. “Where they failed to arrest the activists, they detained a large number of family members and relatives,” he added.
The ANP, which used to be an arch rival of the MQM, is also on the same page as over 100 of their men have been held from Shah Latif Colony, Quaidabad, Pirabad, Qasba Colony, Keamari, Natha Khan Goth, Manghopir and Malir. ANP Sindh general secretary Bashir Jan has, however, warned the government. “The PPP has seen our support not our anger,” he said.
“Would you believe they even detained three of our party’s elderly men, including Baba Zahir Shah who is 70 years old,” pointed out Jan. “He is the one person in Manghopir who, even the Taliban, do not bother because of his old age and noble personality.”
He insisted that fake cases were being registered against their men. “The president of our Shah Latif ward, Qayyum Khattak, has been booked for possessing illegal weapons even though he has a licence.” Nearly a dozen ANP men are still in custody and a majority of them have been released.
The law enforcers arrested around 20 PST workers during raids in Landhi, Qasba Colony and Lines Area. “All of our party’s men were released after initial interrogation,” said PST spokesperson Fahim Shaikh.
The outlawed PAC said that around six of their workers were taken away by the police and they are still in custody. “It is completely unfair that the police barge into our home and grabs you in front of your wife and children without any reason,” PAC leader Zafar Baloch told The Express Tribune.
Meanwhile, the police officials said that the targeted raids were conducted only against criminal elements. “These raids are not against any party but are being conducted against all criminal elements on the basis of the lists provided by the high-ups,” explained district East police chief Captain (retd) Tahir Naveed. “It could be possible that these elements were using the names of the political parties who may have disowned them earlier.”
The list
The list provided to the police includes the names of the parties, the names of their leaders and workers with their designations, addresses and the police stations in that jurisdiction.
The MQM takes the majority of names on the list with the names of over 200 of their leaders, including deputy convener Farooq Sattar, MNAs Sufiyan Yousuf and Saeed Ahmed, and MPAs Adnan Ahmed, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Ashfaq Mangi, Azeem Farooqui and Rehan Zafar.
The ANP follows with the names of 36 leaders and workers, including its president for district Central Muhammad Niaz.
The PAC has 35 names, including its chief Uzair Jan Baloch, president Shahid Rehman, coordinator Zafar Baloch and others. The PST has 33 names, including that of its chief Sarwat Ejaz Qadri. The KRC also made it to the list with 20 names, including its chairperson Hussain Paryar.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2013.
More than 150 leaders, workers and supporters of four political parties in the city were apprehended during unannounced overnight raids on Thursday.
The detainees belonged to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Sunni Tehreek (PST), the outlawed Peoples Amn Committee (PAC) and the Kutchi Rabita Committee (KRC). The MQM and ANP workers form the majority as around 100 people associated with each party were arrested from districts Malir, South and West.
While the political parties appreciated the raids, all of them condemned the manner in which the police conducted itself during the operation. The law enforcers misbehaved with the women and children, according to residents.
“It seems as if it was a show of strength by the police,” said MQM deputy convener Engineer Nasir Jamal. “They tried to enforce their writ upon the people.” Jamal told The Express Tribune that a large number of their workers were taken into custody, including the chief and joint-chief of their units in district East. “Where they failed to arrest the activists, they detained a large number of family members and relatives,” he added.
The ANP, which used to be an arch rival of the MQM, is also on the same page as over 100 of their men have been held from Shah Latif Colony, Quaidabad, Pirabad, Qasba Colony, Keamari, Natha Khan Goth, Manghopir and Malir. ANP Sindh general secretary Bashir Jan has, however, warned the government. “The PPP has seen our support not our anger,” he said.
“Would you believe they even detained three of our party’s elderly men, including Baba Zahir Shah who is 70 years old,” pointed out Jan. “He is the one person in Manghopir who, even the Taliban, do not bother because of his old age and noble personality.”
He insisted that fake cases were being registered against their men. “The president of our Shah Latif ward, Qayyum Khattak, has been booked for possessing illegal weapons even though he has a licence.” Nearly a dozen ANP men are still in custody and a majority of them have been released.
The law enforcers arrested around 20 PST workers during raids in Landhi, Qasba Colony and Lines Area. “All of our party’s men were released after initial interrogation,” said PST spokesperson Fahim Shaikh.
The outlawed PAC said that around six of their workers were taken away by the police and they are still in custody. “It is completely unfair that the police barge into our home and grabs you in front of your wife and children without any reason,” PAC leader Zafar Baloch told The Express Tribune.
Meanwhile, the police officials said that the targeted raids were conducted only against criminal elements. “These raids are not against any party but are being conducted against all criminal elements on the basis of the lists provided by the high-ups,” explained district East police chief Captain (retd) Tahir Naveed. “It could be possible that these elements were using the names of the political parties who may have disowned them earlier.”
The list
The list provided to the police includes the names of the parties, the names of their leaders and workers with their designations, addresses and the police stations in that jurisdiction.
The MQM takes the majority of names on the list with the names of over 200 of their leaders, including deputy convener Farooq Sattar, MNAs Sufiyan Yousuf and Saeed Ahmed, and MPAs Adnan Ahmed, Dr Sagheer Ahmed, Ashfaq Mangi, Azeem Farooqui and Rehan Zafar.
The ANP follows with the names of 36 leaders and workers, including its president for district Central Muhammad Niaz.
The PAC has 35 names, including its chief Uzair Jan Baloch, president Shahid Rehman, coordinator Zafar Baloch and others. The PST has 33 names, including that of its chief Sarwat Ejaz Qadri. The KRC also made it to the list with 20 names, including its chairperson Hussain Paryar.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2013.