KARACHI, June 7: The Mohajir Qaumi Movement’s candidate in the by-election of NA-255 constituency, Syed Abid Jaferi has accused the provincial administration of not allowing him to open his election office in the constituency at the behest of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, whose senior deputy convener, Dr Farooq Sattar is pitted against him.

Addressing a news conference at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, he alleged that whenever he attempted to open his office, it was raided by the police and other agencies. He alleged that his supporters, including youths and women, were also arrested.

On the pretext of eliminating so-called no go areas, he alleged that the government had turned the entire city into a no go area for the Mohajir Qaumi Movement.

He alleged that with the announcement of election schedule, police and Rangers started illegal occupation of his party’s offices and handed over to the rival party.

The party activists were being rounded up and harassed to change their loyalties, he alleged adding that when the supporters and workers of Mohajir Qaumi Movement refuse to succumb to coercion, they are implicated in fake cases.

Mr Jaferi said that his party had pursued a policy of no confrontation with the state, but it had been construed as a weakness. He vowed to put up stiff resistance for protecting the rights of Mohajirs.

He alleged that police and Rangers raided several houses in Unit-89 and ransacked them during the night operation between Thursday and Friday. They took away all election related material and misbehaved with ladies. Several of them including Akbar Wazir, younger brother of Zafar Wazir, were still missing. He alleged that the Town Police Officer (TPO) of the area was not responding to the repeated telephone calls.

He also alleged that police and Rangers handed over Mohajir Qaumi Movement’s sealed offices to Muttahida activists, who were threatening the local population under official patronage.

Meanwhile, secretary-general of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi), Aamir Khan, has castigated the indifferent attitude of the interior ministry over recent acts of violence in New Karachi and Orangi.

In a statment, he said that owing to criminal complicity of the law-enforcement agencies and partisan policy of the government, the entire Karachi had been turned into a hot-bed of criminal activities.

He accused the rival Muttahida of pursuing policies detrimental to the interest of Mohajirs.