Against ‘extrajudicial killings’: MQM calls for ‘day of mourning’

The funeral prayer will be offered at Numaish after Juma prayers.

HYDERABAD/ KARACHI:

Just nine days after joining the provincial government, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has called for a day of mourning after bodies of four party workers were found in Memon Goth on Wednesday night. 

This was announced by the party’s deputy convener, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, at a press conference held at the Khursheed Begum Secretariat. He said that they planned to hold a peaceful protest as it was their right to do so.

Members of the Rabita Committee present at the conference wore black bands to express their anger and state of mourning.

It was announced that while two of the men had been buried, the funeral for the other two would be held at Numaish Chowrangi on Friday (today) after Juma prayers at 2pm.

What happened in Memon Goth

On Wednesday, the bodies of four men were found in Memon Goth. The men were later identified as party workers, Faizanuddin, Ali Haider, Sameed Anees and Salman Qureshi.

Party chief Altaf Hussain has asked for action to be taken against law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and their officials who are involved in extra-judicial killings of party workers.

According to the MQM, six activists of the party were picked up by LEAs on April 13 from Gulzar-e-Hijri, near the Super Highway. Two men picked up on that night are still missing.

MQM leaders said that they had been informing the media, LEAs, and authorities about the illegal arrests and, despite their appeals, nothing had been done so far. They added that if things got out of hand, then they will not be responsible for the situation.

“Four mothers have lost their sons today,” said Siddiqui. “Now we are worried about the others who are missing.”

At the morgue

When the families of the party workers reached the Edhi morgue, they were mortified. They couldn’t even stand next to the bodies of the loved ones and look at them because of the brutal torture marks that covered them.

“One bullet would have been enough to kill him,” screamed a man when he said his son, Faizanuddin’s body. “This city is like a jungle. It is not fit for humans to live in.”

Many people had gathered around a young man. They were trying to calm him down as he vowed to take revenge for his brother.

The morgue was filled with party workers and family members of the men who had died. There was no space to walk.

Reports claim that the bodies of the men were found in bushes outside the city’s limits. This, however, is not the first time bodies of abducted or missing persons have been in the area. Since last year more than 100 bodies have been found from Malir, Memon Goth and Gadap.

One of the men found on Wednesday night was identified as Haider. His family said he was supposed to tie the knot on August 7. “Let us unite, otherwise they will kill all of us like them,” said Haider’s brother. “We were preparing for his wedding, now we are preparing for his funeral.”

Salman, a third-year political science student at Karachi University, was also one of the victims. When his brother saw the body, he asked, “Is that my brother? Are you sure? My brother was so handsome.”

The families of the victims claimed that a total of 19 men were picked up by the Rangers and personnel in plain clothes from Gulzar-e-Hijri between April 12 and April 13 while they were playing snooker. Thirteen of them were released, four were killed and two are still missing.

All the victims were in their mid-twenties. Three of the men were associated with the Gulshan-e-Maymar sector while Faizanuddin was from the party’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal sector.

The inquiry

An inquiry team led by DIG East with Malir SSP, Investigations SSP and SIU SP Farooq Awan has been set up to find out the facts about the case. They have been asked to submit a report as soon as possible.

Violence in the city

At least two people were killed while five others were injured during aerial firing in different areas. Around 70 people were arrested out of which two were injured and detained for their alleged involvement in closing down shops in the city. A roadside vendor identified as Danish Raza, 22, was killed while another was wounded at Abul Hassan Isphani Road. Sikander Sattar, 46, was killed in New Town. A passenger bus was also set on fire in Landhi.

Some markets and bazaars in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Benazirabad, Jamshoro and Tando Allahyar started to shut down in the afternoon after the party called for a protest. A young man was shot and injured in Hyderabad’s Noorani Basti area. According to the Pinyari police, the attackers could not be identified. The injured was taken to Civil hospital.

Exams for Friday to be rescheduled

All the exams scheduled for Friday under the Intermediate and Matriculation education boards have been postponed to a later date, announced the respective examination controllers, Muhammad Imran Khan Chishti and Noman Ahsan, on Thursday.

Chishti told The Express Tribune that the decision was taken in order to save the students from any vulnerability that they might be subjected to due to the unavailability of public transport on the day of mourning announced by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Following MQM’s call to observe Friday as a day of mourning, all associations of private schools in the city had unanimously announced that all educational institutes shall remain closed owing to the uncertain security situation. They further urged the education boards to follow suit.

“Keeping in view the current violent situation of the city, we also appeal to the education boards to take immediate necessary action regarding all the scheduled theory and practical exams,” said Private Schools Management Association’s chairperson Sharfuz Zaman.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2014.