KARACHI, April 4: Jamat-i-Islami Karachi chief Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui and eight other activists were sent to jail in illegal weapons and explosive case on Monday. Police claimed recovery of explosive material, 37 bottles of petrol, four TT pistols and pamphlets inscribed with slogans against the government from them. They were produced before Judicial Magistrate East. “The court was told by MMA leader and activists that they were actually detained on March 31 and kept in police custody,” defence counsel Khalid Khan Arshi said.

“JM Alia Malik recorded their statements and remanded them to judicial custody till April 15 ordering their production on the next date of hearing,” he added.

Speaking to highly-charged activists present outside the court premises, Dr Merajul Huda said that the MMA would continue its struggle against dictatorship, price-hike, unemployment and lawlessness despite arrests.

Dr Mairajul Huda and Mohammad Aslam Mujahid, Zafar Iqbal, Rashid Qureshi, Badar, Mehmood, Kaleemur Rehman, Asghar and Iqbal were arrested during a raid on party headquarters, Idara Noor Haq, near Islamia College Karachi in wake of MMA’s countrywide strike call.

The police on Monday raided the residence of deputy secretary of the Jamat Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman and allegedly maltreated his family members.

According to an MMA office-bearer, these raids were being conducted by a team of police officials and informers who were assigned the task to point out and arrest active MMA and JI workers.

He said although no case was registered against Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rahman at any police station in the city, his residence was raided.

Meanwhile, MMA MNAs and MPAs have condemned raid at the residence of MMA leaders in Karachi

Speaking at a press confernece at Raza Library, MMA MNA and Senior Vice President of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (JUP), Dr Abul Khair Mohammad Zubair felicitated Karachiites for observing a peaceful strike and condemned the arrests of party legislators, including MNA Mohammad Hussain Mehnti, Laiq Khan, MPAs Hameedullah Khan, Younus Barai from CCPO Karachi office, besides JI Karachi chief Dr Merajul Huda Siddiqui and other workers from Idara Noor-i-Haq Karachi.

Other MMA and JUP leaders, including Mohammad Hashim Siddiqui advocate, Mufti Abdul Haleem Siddiqui, Mohammad Haleem Khan Ghauri and Rao Manzoor Ali were also present.

“The arrest of MMA legislators from CPO and fake recovery of explosives from Idara Noor-i-Haq indicates that the law-enforcing agencies are trying to defame the MMA.

He demanded that the government shoiuld release all innocent MMA workers and arrest those police officials who opened fire on protestors, including MMA MNA Maulana Hamidullah and others.

Condemning the police firing and teargasing on MMA activists who were protesting against women’s participation in a mini-marathon in Gujranwala, the MMA leader warned the government to refrain from promotion of obscenity and vulgarity in the garb of ‘enlightened moderation’.—PPI