Bhai tells followers to stay put

• Commercial activities disrupted, public transport off roads as MQM supporters stage sit-ins in Karachi, situation similar in Hyderabad, Sukkur and Nawabshah
• Detained MQM leader tells supporters in Karachi not to indulge in violence, says he won’t disappoint them
• PM and interior minister telephone Sindh governor, tells him govt will do all it can to facilitate MQM chief
• London police wait for doctors’ report to grill MQM leader over money laundering charges 

Commercial activities in Pakistan’s financial hub remained at a standstill on Wednesday as fear and tension continued to grip Karachi after the arrest of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain in London on charges of money laundering, as the MQM leader told his followers in Pakistan, particularly in Karachi and other Sindh cities not to take the law into their hands.

As MQM supporters and workers continued to hold protests and sit-ins at vantage points in the city, the roads wore a deserted look. Most of the public transport remained off the roads and markets, petrol pumps and shopping centres were also shut down.

The biggest sit-in by the MQM is being staged at the Numaish Chowrangi on the usually bustling MA Jinnah Road and last night members of the Sindh Assembly belonging to the ruling Pakistan People’s Party also joined the protesters to express solidarity with them.

Dr. Farooq Sattar, a senior leader of the party, had earlier in the day said the supporters and workers would not end the sit-in until they hear Hussain’s voice.

“They are concerned because they have spoken to their leader or heard from him they want to hear his voice,” he said.

The MQM leader said Karachi’s traders and transporters had also promised them full support. He warned that if their chief was harmed while being held in custody by British authorities, then the matter would slip out of control.

Later in the night, MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi read out a message from Altaf Hussain to the party workers staging the sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi. Rizvi told the workers that Hussain had made a 20-minute telephonic meeting with the Rabita Committee in which he had urged them to ask workers and supporters to remain peaceful.

“I’ve never disappointed you in the past and would not let you down in the future too. My hopes are still high and I’m confident that I’ll prevail over the situation,” Rizvi quoted Hussain as saying in the message.

Hussain (60) has lived in the UK since claiming asylum in the 1990s but has maintained a tight grip on Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. The MQM is the single largest party in Karachi and has since the late eighties dominated the city’s political landscape at the local and provincial level.

MQM workers in other cities of Pakistan also staged protests against the arrest of the MQM chief with commercial activities also affected badly in many parts of interior Sindh including Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sukkur and Nawabshah.

All examinations scheduled for Wednesday were also postponed.

Chaos, panic and fear prevailed in Karachi since the news of Hussain’s arrest came Tuesday from London and within minutes all commercial activities came to a halt despite the government announcing the federal budget the same day.

PM CALLS SINDH GOVERNOR:

In Islamabad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan spoke to Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad on telephone and enquired after the health of the MQM chief.

The two assured Ebad of the federal government’s full cooperation on the matter relating to Hussain’s arrest and his ill health.

The premier said Hussain was a Pakistani citizen, adding that the government would do everything in its power to safeguard the MQM chief’s interests. He added that the Pakistan High Commission had been directed to gain consular access to Hussain.

ALTAF ALLOWED THREE VISITORS:

Meanwhile in London, police has asked for names of three people who will be allowed to meet with the arrested MQM chief. The names can be of people who are either related to Hussain or are his friends.

The development came hours after MQM leader Wasay Jalil claimed that although the London police wanted to question Hussain in relation to money laundering, he had been moved to a hospital on account of ill health.

Doctors will carry out a number of tests on Hussain, Jalil had claimed that after those, the police was likely to decide on how to proceed. Jalil further said that the MQM was in cooperation with the British police over its investigations in matters relating to alleged money laundering and the murder of Imran Farooq.

Hussain’s residence was sealed after the search of his London home was concluded by the British police. The search was carried out by 40 personnel of the police, including members of the forensic team.

London police said that six personnel were still present at Hussain’s residence. Police moreover said that the residence will be handed over to the MQM chief after he gets bail.