Extrajudicial killings: After protests, bodies of party workers found in gunny bags

Police believe they were poisoned; party chief asks govt to take notice.

KARACHI:

They were identified as Muhammad Ali Khan alias Ali Mirza and Syed Qasim Ali. The police said that the bodies were kept in gunny bags and did not bear any signs of torture or bullet wounds. They believe the men might have been poisoned.

According to what the family told the police, Khan and Ali were residents of Orangi Town and were kidnapped nearly six weeks ago. Ali was abducted near the airport. His family said that he was on his way to catch a flight to Dubai and an FIR was registered with the airport police on March 19. Ali's family told the police that he had gone to visit his sister in Azad Kashmir and after he was kidnapped, they had filed a petition in a court in Azad Kashmir.

Both men were from the Qasba Aligarh sector of the party. DSP Rahim Shah told The Express Tribune that a case had been registered and an investigation was underway.

Party leader talks

MQM's chief Altaf Hussain demanded the government to take notice of the raid, abductions and extrajudicial killings of party activists.

In a press release issued on Friday, the party chief said that extrajudicial killings were a violation of human rights. He added that the killings and illegal detentions were a cause of concern for the party.

Protest in Hyderabad

MQM supporters took to the streets in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Badin, Tando Allahyar and Shaheed Benazirabad on Friday. They demanded an end to the alleged enforced disappearance and killings of party workers. They claimed that law enforcement agencies were behind these incidents.

"If the government does not address our concerns despite these protests, we will resort to holding sit-ins everyday to force them to talk to us," said Ashfaq Mangi, a member of the Rabita Committee, while addressing a rally in Hyderabad which was attended by many party supporters.

He complained that despite peaceful protests in Karachi on Thursday, the bodies of two more missing party workers were found in the city. "The abduction and killings of MQM workers has to stop otherwise the country will break up," he said. Mangi asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit Sindh and Balochistan to soothe the worried families of the missing persons. ​"Nawaz Sharif is not just the prime minister of Punjab," he said. "The prime minister should visit Sindh and Balochistan to provide justice too." Hyderabad zone in-charge, Navaid Shamsi, said nearly 45 workers of the MQM were missing and 25 others had been killed. "Karachi's streets are being painted with the blood of MQM workers," he said. "Men dressed in plain clothes are kidnapping and killing them."

MQM leader Shabir Qiamkhani said that if party workers were involved in any criminal activity they should be arrested and taken to court. He also thanked Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz's chairperson Sanan Qureshi for supporting the MQM on this issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2014.