HYDERABAD, Oct 10: At least 27 persons were injured in clashes between People’s Party Parliamentarians and the Sindh Democratic Alliance activists in Tando Allahyar taluka and three persons, including two MQM (Haqiqi) activists, were injured here on Thursday in poll-related violence.
Tension had been brewing here between the activists of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement since the beginning of the election process, finally resulting in some armed clashes on the polling day.
An activist of the MQM-H was injured in a clash at the local civil hospital.
Witnesses and officials said that the trouble started from the women’s polling station of the Hopeful High School, when some Muttahida activists were beaten up by MQM-H activists.
Muttahida activist Iftikhar told journalists that Javed, Dr Zaid, Shahid Alam, Liaquat and others were beaten by the MQM-H activists. Iftikhar said that the 50 to 60 activists entered the polling stations and misbehaved with women, that followed a scuffle.
Witnesses said that some miscreants had torn the Muttahida’s election symbol of Kite on Station Road. Soon after the incident, firing started, resulting in a stampede in the area.
There were, however, conflicting accounts of the clash and its beginning.
Muttahida activist Javed suffered injuries and was taken to the civil hospital here.
Police also moved to the area and also to Bhai Khan ki Charhi, where the zonal offices of both the parties are located.
By the time police reached, an incident of firing had already taken place, resulting in injuries to two persons.
They were identified as Babar Ali, son of Shaukat Ali, and Waheed, son of Abdul Hameed.
After the injured men were taken to the civil hospital, local leaders and activists of both the parties gathered in the hospital.
Both the sides exchanged hot words and threw stone and bricks on each other.
In the meantime, firing took place there and a MQM-H activist, Mohammad Islam, suffered bullet injuries on his right hand near the cardiac ward. Another MQM-H activist, Anees, suffered injuries on his nose in the scuffle.
Following the incident, tension is prevailing in the city particularly at the civil hospital and Bhai Khan ki Charhi. Police have been deployed in both the areas.
Further chances of armed confrontation can not be ruled out.
The police is reported to have lodged a case with the City police after the scuffle at Hopeful high school.
In Tando Mohammad Khan taluka, 27 persons suffered minor injuries in four clashes between the activists of the People’s Party Parliamentarians and the Sindh Democratic Alliance.
The Tando Mohammad Khan police have detained three persons.
