Seven party workers to be grilled for 90 days

The suspects are said to be office-bearers and workers of the Ranchore Lane sector of MQM.

KARACHI: The Rangers informed an anti-terrorism court (ATC) about the 90-day preventive detention of seven suspects affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for their alleged involvement in target killings and other crimes.

The arrest of six suspects, Khurram alias Muchchar, Zubair alias Handi, Mehmood, Shahidur Rehman, Mubin and Shahid, were disclosed on Monday in a press conference at the historic Mitha Ram Hostel, which was recently taken over by the paramilitary force and declared a sub-jail.

According to the Rangers spokesperson, the suspects were apprehended during targeted raids in West district's Old City area. The area, though a melting pot for different ethnicities and religions, has witnessed its fair share of violence between rival political groups in the past years. The suspects are said to be office-bearers and workers of the Ranchore Lane sector of the party.

A large cache of arms and ammunition, ranging from hand guns to light machine guns and hand grenades, were also seized from them. The suspects were brought to the court in a paramilitary truck amid tight security. They were blindfolded, handcuffed and marched in a beeline in tandem, with their hands on the back of each other.

Rangers officials, accompanied by their legal team, informed the ATC-VI judge, Abdul Naeem Memon, who heard the case on link, that they had 'credible information' against the suspects for their involvement in target killings, extortion, kidnapping and other such acts. The suspects were subsequently taken into three-month preventive detention under section 11EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2015.