Police arrest MQM-L activists

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and police on Saturday intercepted and prevented Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) activists from visiting key graveyards in Karachi and Hyderabad to honour the party’s ‘martyrs’.

The party has annually observed December 9 as Martyrs’ Day. Party supremo Altaf Hussain’s brother, Nasir Hussain, and nephew, Arif Hussain, were killed on Dec 9, 1995, in Karachi.

The activists of MQM London supporters have held motorcycle rally at Shahra-e-Pakistan, however police and LEAs intercepted them and arrested seven of them.

However, the women of MQM London marched toward s Yadgar Shuhda but they met police baton charge and stopped them to march towards Yadgar Shuhda.

“Around 50 persons, most of them women, tried to proceed, but the contingent of police and Rangers already deployed there did not allow them,” SHO Azizabad Jamal Leghari  said.

“They failed in their attempt to reach the Shuhada Qabristan,” he said.

He said he was not sure about any arrests made in this regard and said that he would be able to speak about detentions only when he has more information.

Meanwhile, policewomen in Hyderabad also had to push back advancing female workers of MQM-L as they tried to enter a graveyard in the Pucca Qilla of the city to visit the graves of party workers killed in different periods.

The workers were pushed towards the shrine of Sakhi Abdul Wahab Shah Jillani. No untoward incident was reported.

A heavy contingent of police had already padlocked the graveyard to prevent activists from visiting the graves of party workers.

The roads leading to the historic fort had been closed with barbed wire from the Gari Khata and Guru Nagar sides since morning. Small arteries that connect to the fort also remained closed with barbed wires.