KARACHI: Rangers raided the MQM office on Abul Hasan Isphahani Road on Wednesday night and picked up several workers, the MQM said.

The incident sparked protest in the area as shops were closed and traffic thinned.

There was no official word about the raid from the paramilitary force.

A police official told Dawn that Rangers had carried out the raid on information about the presence of some suspects at the office and detained some people for interrogation.

MQM’s coordination committee said in a statement that the office of an MPA had been raided and several workers were held.

It condemned the raid and said that about 500 workers, including women, were attending a meeting at the MPA’s office when Rangers raided the place, ransacked the office and detained several activists.

It alleged that the Rangers stopped members of the committee, MNA Muzammil Qureshi and MPA Faisal Subzwari from entering the office.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2014