Culprits will be caught, Gilani assures MQM

MQM leaders are reluctant to provide information and claim their party did not have any scheduled meeting with the PM.

KARACHI: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has assured the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that culprits involved in the Shershah incident will be arrested soon.  The assurance was given during a meeting held at the Governor House on Tuesday.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad participated in the meeting, as informed by sources close to the party, as they added that the MQM delegation comprised the party’s deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar,  Minister for Port and Shipping Babar Ghauri, former Karachi nazim Mustafa Kamal, Sindh Minister for Public Health Engineering Adil  Siddiqui, Minster for Information Technology Raza Haroon and Minister for Health Dr Sagheer Ahmed.

Sources also said that some relatives of the Shershah incident victims were also present on the occasion. The MQM delegation briefed the PM on the targeted killings of their workers during the last two years, and stressed upon the need of taking stern action against the culprits involved in the Shershah tragedy. They alleged that a group responsible for collecting extortion money in the area was involved in the harrowing incident.

Sources claimed that the premier was also told about some government officials allegedly involved in patronising extortion and land mafia.

During the meeting, PM Gilani assured the delegation that the culprits will be arrested and the affected families will be compensated accordingly, as he directed Sindh chief minister to take action in this regard.

“We were given the assurance that the operation will be carried out against the real culprits, but we are still waiting,” a source remarked

When contacted, the MQM leaders were reluctant to provide any information and claimed that their party did not have any scheduled meeting with the prime minister.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Raza Haroon, member of the Rabitta Committee stated that all leaders of his party were present in a programme organised at the Governor House for the victims of Shershah incident.

“We did not hold any meeting with PM Gilani, but since he arrived at the Governor House, Farooq Sattar and Babar Ghori received him along with governor Sindh,” he said, as he described news stories concerning the scheduled MQM-PM meeting as baseless rumours.

Published in The Express Tribune, October  27^th, 2010.