The Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) observed a day of mourning on Wednesday to express grief over the killings of its party workers in Tuesday’s blast near Ayesha Manzil in Karachi. It should be mentioned here that a bomb exploded near a bus carrying MQM workers in a crowded area of the city on Tuesday killing at least four people and wounding 50, police said. The bomb appeared to have been planted in a motorbike. Earlier, a political rally was organised by the Muttahida and Tahir-ul-Qadri’s Tehreek-e-Minhaj-ul-Quran at Jinnah Ground, Aziazabad, in connection with January 14 long march. According to a statement, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain endorsed the decision by the party’s co-ordination committee which said all organisational activities of the party throughout the country would remain suspended on Wednesday and fateha would be offered for the deceased. The co-ordination committee made it clear that business activities would continue and public transport would run as usual. Shops and business centers would also remain open. Hussain announced two lakhs of rupees for each martyred worker and directed the co-ordination committee and the medical aid committee of the MQM to provide full assistance to the injured.
