MQM-P, PPP trade accusations

KARACHI (INP): As the battle for the Karachi throne nears, the MQM-P and the PPP on Monday exchanged the blame for the incident which claimed one life and was followed by torching of vehicles a day earlier.

In this connection, MQM-P Convenor Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told reporters that his party wasn’t responsible for the efforts to create fear in the Karachi and that the caretaker setup in Sindh was biased and a continuation of the PPP rule. About the Feb 8 elections, he said the day would bring the political death of those behind killings and violence, adding that the PPP had justified the killing of the MQM-P worker.

The day started with MQM-P senior leader Mustafa Kamal saying his party worker was killed by armed men carrying Kalashnikovs in the Nazimabad neighbourhood of the mega city in the presence of four police vehicles at the time of the incident. Talking to media, he said the murderers were from the PPP and mentioned that the MQM-P workers had been shot dead in different parts of Karachi in the past in six separate incidents.

He accused Dr Asim – a close associate of former president Asif Ali Zardari – of orchestrating the incident in which Ahmed Faraz – a UC in-charge of the MQM-P – was killed and said they had a video proof of the armed man opening fire while standing next to a police vehicle. The police didn’t arrest the killer but picked up the MQM-P worker who had received bullet wounds, he said, adding that the police, instead of shifting the injured man to a nearby hospital, spent time on the road while driving around in the area, which resulted in his death.

Dr Asim has been tasked with conquering the Karachi Central district [a MMQ-P stronghold], Kamal alleged and asked the state to provide justice to them. Otherwise, they would not be responsible for the consequences. About the allegation that the firing was a result of locals torching two vehicles, he questioned whether they should have showered petals on them. The people reacted after the gruesome murder, he said.

The PPP has resorted to these tactics after the realising that their 15-year investment is coming to an end and they are destined to face defeat on Feb 8. Later in the afternoon, Saeed Ghani said the PPP had a successful rally in the area – historically dominated by the MQM-P – and the rival party resorted to violence in the response, adding that Kamal had been hurling threats even before the latest episode.

He alleged that the MQM-P had opted to use the old tactics based upon violence and threats, as he called for a judicial inquiry into the incident. Police were nowhere near the spot where the killing took place, Ghani claimed. Earlier, it was reported that one person was killed and another wounded in a clash between the rival PPP and MQM-P workers on Sunday night.