HYDERABAD, May 20: Activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement took out processions and held demonstrations in Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah and Thatta on Monday to protest Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan’s accusing MQM chief Altaf Hussain of being directly involved in the murder of PTI leader Zahra Shahid Hussain in Karachi on Saturday.

The party leaders and protesters demanded that Mr Khan retract the statement and tender an apology to the MQM chief and all activists of the party.

In Hyderabad, a number of processions were taken out by MQM activists, which started from all sectors of the party and converged outside the press club.

Carrying banners and waving party flags, the charged workers, including women, shouted slogans against Mr Khan and demanded that he take back his statement and tender an apology to Mr Hussain and each and every worker of the MQM.

MQM zonal in-charge Mohammad Shareef, MNA-elect Syed Waseem Hussain, MPAs-elect Dilawar Qureshi, Rashid Khilji, Sabir Qaimkhania and other party leaders warned in their speeches that this crowd of highly charged workers who were participating in the demonstration in such a scorching heat knew well how to handle someone who had pointed an accusing finger at their leader.

They demanded that rulers take legal action against Mr Khan for hurting people’s sentiments. If Mr Khan did not apologise to Mr Hussain and each and every worker of MQM, the party would continue protests against him across the world, they warned.

Police and Rangers had sealed with barbed wires both ends of the road leading to the press club to provide security to the demonstrators.

MIRPURKHAS: A large number of workers and office-bearers of the MQM took out a procession which started from the party’s zonal office and terminated in a sit-in at the press club.

MQM zonal in-charge Fareed Ahmed and former provincial minister Shabbir Ahmed Kaimkhani who led the protest said that Mr Khan had proved that he was still immature in politics.

They rejected what they described as baseless allegations levelled against MQM chief Hussain and condemned murder of PTI leader Zahra Shahid Hussain. They demanded the government immediately arrest the culprits.

NAWABSHAH: MQM activists held a demonstration on Phatak road to protest against PTI chief Khan’s accusing Mr Hussain of being directly involved in the murder of the PTI leader.

The protesters led by the zonal in-charge and other leaders strongly condemned the statement of the PTI chief and said that no worker of the party would tolerate the allegations Mr Khan had levelled against his leader and demanded that he should take back his words and tender an apology.

THATTA: Hundreds of MQM activists led by Syed Shafique Shah Bukhari took out a large procession, which started from Thatta Press Club and terminated at the Edhi Center, in protest against PTI chief Imran Khan.

The demonstrators staged a sit-in on the National Highway, causing suspension of vehicular traffic for about an hour. Waving party flags and raising slogans against Mr Khan they marched on the highway and other thoroughfares of the town and later dispersed peacefully.

SUKKUR: MQM workers took out a procession in Jacobabad, which started from the party’s district office and terminated in a demonstration and sit-in in front of the press club.

The party leaders, including Ahmed Nawaz Pechuho, Anwer Sial and Arbab Ali Buledi, said the PTI chief Imran Khan’s statement had hurt the feelings of MQM workers and asked Mr Khan to withdraw the statement and seek an apology from Mr Hussain and MQM workers.

Meanwhile, PTI workers also brought out a procession in protest against the targeted killing of senior party leader Zahra Shahid Hussain in Karachi.

The party leaders, including Tariq Hussain Unner, Shadi Khan Badini and Sardar Jawar Singh, who led the protest said that MQM workers were involved in killing the PTI leader.

They said that the MQM chief who was a British citizen was threatening Pakistanis. He should know that now Pakistani people had become fed up with looters, plunderers and extortionists, they said.

A number of PTI activists held a demonstration outside the Thatta Press Club here on Monday in protest against the murder of senior party leader Zahra Shahid Hussain in Karachi on Saturday and alleged irregularities in polls.

The demonstrators dispersed peacefully after recording their protest.

BADIN: PTI workers held a demonstration outside the press club in protest against targeted killing of the party leader Zahra Shahid in Karachi.

The protesters demanded that the assailants be arrested immediately and appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan and Chief of Army Staff to take notice of their leader’s murder.