MQM clarifies Altaf's call to stay indoors was directed towards Islamabad residents

Panic spread throughout Karachi after Altaf urged public to remain indoors today fearing bloodshed in country

KARACHI: A Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader told The Express Tribune on Tuesday that the party chief Altaf Hussain's statement urging people to remain indoors was directed towards residents of Islamabad.

Altaf had asked the public to remain indoors on Tuesday after 12 pm as he feared bloodshed would break out amongst protesters and the government. The MQM leader clarified, on the condition of anonymity, that Altaf's warning was particularly for those in Islamabad.

He said that the government had deployed a huge force of Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) around the sit-in protestors in the capital last night, claiming that Altaf's statement had averted an attack on them.

"Altaf Hussain wants the issue to be resolved through peaceful means and through negotiations," the party leader stated.

Meanwhile, following Altaf's request of staying indoors,  panic spread in Karachi with people stocking up groceries and parents not sending their children to schools. The MQM leader also said that he could foresee a martial law coming under the cover of the Constitution.