Judging from the manner in which heavily armed criminals attacked the homes of MQM activists and supporters and forcefully tried to occupy party offices in Malir and Landhi, their free movement in the area and the role of the silent spectators played by police and the administration, the MQM is forced to believe that this was all a well-planned scheme, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Rabita Committee member and leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly Raza Haroon said on Saturday.
“The murderers of the MQM activists and sympathisers in Malir and Khokhrapar should be arrested. No leniency should be shown to those disrupting the peace of the city,” he said while addressing a press conference at the Khurshid Begum Secretariat, Nine-Zero. He was flanked by other members of the committee, Kunwar Khalid Younis, Nasreen Jalil, Waseea Jalil and Amir Khan.
“More than 50 armed Haqiqi terrorists and criminals involved in the Lyari gang war entered Khokhrapar, Ammar Yasir Society and other adjoining areas of Malir and started attacking the homes of MQM workers. They stormed into the homes and fired indiscriminately on the people sleeping inside as well as those who were leaving for their offices,” he said.
“More than 30 workers and supporters of the MQM were either injured or killed as a result of heavy firing. As soon as these terrorists, who were armed with latest automatic weapons, entered Malir and Khokhrapar and started firing at homes and MQM offices in the area, MQM officials contacted all government officials and informed them about the situation. They requested immediate action against the terrorists, but no timely action was taken to protect MQM’s innocent and unarmed workers, sympathisers and citizens in Malir,” Haroon added.
“Terrorists continued to move around in Malir and Khokhrapar without any hindrance for several hours, but the police were nowhere to be seen. Likewise, armed terrorists entered Unit 89 of the MQM in Landhi Colony No 1 and attacked several places. The gravity of the situation can be judged from the fact that these terrorists used hand grenades as well. These criminal elements disappeared from the scene only when Rangers entered Malir, Khokhrapar and Landhi.”
Haroon also claimed that a provincial minister met with the head of “Haqiqi terrorists” in Karachi Central Jail on July 11. “This minister not only admitted that he had this meeting in a highly provocative speech in Karachi two days later, but also called the head of Haqiqi terrorists as the true leader of Mohajirs besides announcing his support for him,” he said.
“We had expressed our apprehensions at that time as well that the MQM faces the threat of a terrorist attack similar to the one on June 19, 1992. The MQM believes that all parties should have complete freedom to propagate their political ideologies to the people. But the MQM is resolutely against attempts to facilitate criminal elements in capturing an area with the power of guns,” he added.
Haroon said that the MQM wants peace in Sindh, particularly in Karachi and it is making sincere efforts towards this direction. “It is only for the sake of peace and stability that we withdrew the resignation of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan. Party chief Altaf Hussain has extended the hand of friendship towards the Pakistan People’s Party, the Awami National Party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and all other religious and political parties for the sake of peace and stability and for promoting brotherhood among all segments of the society,” he said.
“We appeal to President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Provincial Home Minister Manzoor Wasan to ensure that the killing of MQM workers and sympathisers stops in order to restore durable peace and stability in Karachi,” he added.
