The parliamentary Rangers on Tuesday (today) released Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) senior leaders Farooq Sattar and Khawaja Izhar after briefly detaining them on Monday night along with several other party workers after two media houses were attacked by MQM activists following party Chief Altaf Hussain’s provocative speech.
The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had issued a non-bailable warrant arrest Farooq Sattar earlier today.
Farooq Sattar has announced to hold a press conference at 3:00 pm today.
According to the reports, arrest warrant of 22 more workers have been issued including Khawaja Izharul Hassan.
The Sindh Rangers on Monday evening sealed MQM offices in different parts of the city and the province while around 50 workers were detained in overnight raids.
High ranking MQM leaders including Dr Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, DrAamir Liaquat and Amir Khan were taken into custody.
Read more: Rangers seal MQM headquarter Nine Zero, detain party workers
Earlier, violent protests erupted in the Saddar area of Karachi Monday evening when the offices of private TV news channel ARY were attacked, resulting in the death of at least one person, leaving several others injured.
A large gathering of MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM) workers allegedly attacked the offices of the news channel situated on top of ‘Zainab Market’ building, a popular clothing market in Karachi.
The attack is allegedly the result of days of incitement through speeches made by the head of MQM, Altaf Hussain. Hussain, who is currently in self-exile in London, had been addressing a gathering of MQM workers in Karachi who were on a hunger strike due to unjust arrest of MQM workers in the city.
A large contingent of both male and female workers marched towards the offices of ARY after allegedly being told so by Altaf Hussain to specifically target the offices of the news channel. In his telephonic address, Altaf asked his listeners “Why are the offices of ARY, SAMAA and GEO still standing if they are not showing my picture?”
After inquiring about the amount of persons available outside the gathering, to which there was a roaring answer of “enough”, he asked them to “go to offices of ARY, Samaa, Rangers office and Sindh government buildings and secretariat and lock them down.” An unknown person on the other end of the phone was heard taking all these instructions diligently.