LAHORE: An MQM delegation, led by Mian Ateeq, called on Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday to covey party’s concerns about the killing of its active workers in Punjab and slow pace of investigation into murder cases.

MQM Sialkot district leader Bao Anwar was shot dead on Dec 9 followed by Asghar Abbas in Chiniot on Dec 17.

Mr Sharif, who had held a telephonic talk with Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad late on Thursday to assure him the arrest of the culprits at the earliest, told the visitors that he would personally monitor progress in both murder cases.

About slow or no progress in the investigation, he directed the police to give representation to the MQM in the joint investigation team formed to work under Punjab Home Minister retired Col Shuja Khanzada.

Public representatives, heirs to the leaders and police officers of the districts will also be members of the panel.

He also announced financial assistance worth Rs10 million each for heirs of Anwar and Abbas.

MQM chief Altaf Husain had reacted sharply on the killing of Bao Anwar. Besides dissolving London- and Karachi-coordination committees for giving a lukewarm reaction to the murder, he had warned that no Punjab minister would be able to enter Sindh if the killing of MQM workers was not stopped.

The MQM says the killings are aimed at stopping it from expanding its network in Punjab.

“As the party has expanded its work to all 37 districts of the province and initiated ambulance service at six places under its Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation, feudal lords and their cohorts who have so far been the master of the poor masses’ destiny are afraid of losing their control and thus are targeting our workers,” says senior party leader Iftikhar Randhawa.

There have been efforts in the past to restrict the MQM from taking roots in Punjab, Randhawa alleges, recalling police raids at the residence of then provincial coordinator Saifyar Khan during Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi’s stint as chief minister from 2002 to 2007, though the PML-Q and the MQM were then allies both in federal and Sindh governments.

He said though the MQM had yet to win a large vote bank in the province, its activities being done with a missionary zeal were attracting people towards the MQM in big numbers, causing unrest among those wielding power in Punjab.

The MQM doubts that some members of the ruling PML-N, if not the Sharifs themselves, are behind the shootings.

“It is an open secret that PML-N leaders have been patronising banned outfits,” Mr Randhawa alleges.

“There are some terrorists without beards,” he says in a reference to the PML-N leaders, adding the MQM is restraining itself from holding protests because of the Peshawar tragedy.

However, a government representative present in the meeting between the chief minister and the MQM delegation claimed that the visitors did not put up any complaint during the meeting.

Published in Dawn December 20th , 2014