April 15, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 8, 1429

KARACHI, April 14: The police contingent deployed around the Muttahida Qaumi Movement headquarters “Nine Zero” early withdrawn in the wee hours of Monday, a day after the party announced its decision to sit on the opposition benches in the National Assembly and Sindh Assembly following the collapse of talks with the Pakistan People’s Party on joining the coalition at the Centre and in Sindh.

A spokesman for the Sindh police maintained that a redeployment of police guards in the city was under way in view of the shortage of manpower and it was part of the process that police personnel were being recalled from several places in accordance with the requirement. “As far as the police security at the Nine Zero is concerned, over 20 police guards are still performing their duties there,” he said.

However, MQM leader Shoaib Bukhari rejected the police claim, saying that all the police guards on duty at the Nine Zero had been withdrawn. “The police personnel guarding the nearby Imambargah have also been withdrawn,” he added.

Mr Bukhari, a member of the MQM coordination committee, further claimed that the police guards provided to himself, MNAs Dr Farooq Sattar and Hyder Abbas Rizvi and several other MQM legislators had also been withdrawn.

The MQM did not ask any government functionary for a redeployment at the Nine Zero, he argued.

The sources pointed out that extra police security had been provided to many MQM leaders during the Arbab-led government and the caretaker setup which had created a shortage of personnel and vehicles required for the watch and ward duties in the city.

“Now the new government intends to withdraw the extra police force from all places, including offices of political parties, residences of politicians, retired bureaucrats and houses of military and other officials, with a view to improving the overall efficiency of the police force,” they said.

They said that police security would now be provided to legislators and other important figures as per their entitlement and the security threats they appeared to be facing.