Official statement: Rangers say they will carry on the operation

Claim man arrested on Saturday was a wanted target killer and involved in extortion.

KARACHI: The Rangers have disclosed that they did arrest a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Saturday morning from New Karachi.

In a statement issued to the media on Sunday, the Rangers spokesperson said that Haider Baig was a wanted criminal and was arrested from New Karachi for his involvement in killing more than 12 individuals from different political parties and organisations. Besides murder, the spokesperson claimed, that Baig was also involved in extortion.

The statement read that the Rangers would continue to conduct their operations across the city and if political parties had any grievances then there was an existing procedure they could refer to and take the matter up in court.

On Saturday, MQM chief Altaf Hussain wrote to Karachi Corps Commander asking him to take urgent notice of the arrest of party workers earlier in the morning. The letter came hours after the Karachi Corps Commander, Lt General Sajjad Ghani, announced, in a phone conversation with Hussain, the formation of a committee to address the MQM's complaints about the targeted operation in the city.

According to what was written in the letter, Hussain claimed an MQM party worker identified as Haider Baig, unit in-charge of New Karachi was picked up by the Rangers from his house at 3am. Rangers arrived at Baig's house in five vans and five motorcycles. After searching the property, they took Baig into custody. They also took his motorcycle.

Party leaders reached Baig's house as soon as word of his arrest got out. They said that people arrested during the targeted operation should be presented in court instead of being subjected to torture while in custody of law enforcers. They also demanded that enforced disappearances should be stopped.

According to party leader Aminul Haque, more than two dozen workers of the MQM, who were picked up during the targeted operation since it kicked off last September, are still missing.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2014.