PHOTO: ONLINE
KARACHI: Rangers carried out a raid at four unit offices of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Karachi's Landhi area in the early hours of Friday, with the party claiming seven workers had been arrested.
"Rangers raided the party's Landhi offices in the wee hours of the Independence Day and arrested seven workers," MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar said, while addressing party workers during a two-day Independence Day celebration at Jinnah Ground.
Read: Rangers arrest six 'MQM target killers' in Karachi
Regretting that the victimisation of MQM has not ended Sattar said, "Party workers are not even allowed to celebrate Independence Day."
Earlier on July 3, Rangers arrested at least ten workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) from different parts of Karachi. Three workers identified as Zulfi, Kasu and Imran were arrested from Karachi’s Liaquatabad area while two others, Nafees and Arshad, were detained from Azizabad.
Read: Rangers arrest 10 MQM workers from Karachi
Further, later during the day, three more MQM workers identified as Qadir, Danish and Saleem were taken into custody from Saeedabad area of Baldia Town. Similarly, in an overnight raid, two other workers of the party were arrested by Rangers officials bringing the total number of arrested on July 3 to 10.
Altaf asks army chief to grant audience to MQM delegation
Later MQM chief Altaf Hussain urged Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif grant an audience to a delegation of the party.
Addressing party workers at Jinnah Ground, Altaf said that a delegation of MQM wanted clear misunderstandings created between the party and the Armed Forces of Pakistan.
The statement came as the Rangers in Karachi arrested at least four party workers in pre-dawn raids on MQM’s offices in Landhi.
Altaf said that the party workers were celebrating Independence Day when they were arrested.
Expressing concern over illegal arrests and disappearance of party cadres, he said that every political worker has fundamental rights under the Constitution.
He further argued that his party was being targeted in the garb of action against terrorist elements.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that 12 MQM workers were arrested.
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