KARACHI, May 19: Holding opposition parties responsible for the May 12 bloodshed, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Saturday screened video footage showing opposition workers using lethal weapons, damaging and setting fire to vehicles.

The footage, titled “A Bitter Truth”, was screened at a press conference held here at the party’s headquarters, Nine Zero.

MQM leaders Faisal Subzwari and Haider Rizvi said the purpose of screening the video footage was to show the other side of the story through the media.

Mr Subzwari pinpointed PPP leaders Sherry Rehman and Naveed Qamar, who were seated in a jeep bearing registration number BD-1820. The jeep was surrounded by armed PPP workers who resorted to indiscriminate firing near the COD Bridge on Drigh Road and later torched vehicles belonging to the MQM workers.

According to him, the jeep was registered in the name of Nadeem Hussain, Ms Rehman’s husband.

Mr Subzwari also pinpointed armed workers of the Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party and Jamaat-i-Islami in the footage targeting MQM rallies, beating up party workers at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and damaging vehicles. Armed activists of Islami Jamiat Talba were also shown in the footage threatening policemen at JMPC to leave the hospital.

On Sharea Faisal, armed workers of the ANP were seen firing indiscriminately near Aisha Bawani College. At the COD Bridge, ANP workers were shown damaging a vehicle (AC-1660) and throwing a PPP flag on the vehicle, giving an impression as if the vehicle owned by PPP workers was being damaged by MQM activists.

The 10-minute footage also contained shots of a peaceful MQM rally which came under heavy fire near Patel Para.

Mr Rizvi and Mr Subzwari demanded an independent inquiry into the violent incidents.

MQM coordination committee joint in charge Abdul Haseeb and other members were also present.