KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers informed an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday that an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement who was allegedly involved in killing 120 people was under its custody for 90 days for questioning.

The paramilitary force claimed in a statement that Umair Hassan Siddiqui was a key member of the ‘target-killing’ racket. The activist became part of a team when the MQM decided to carry out killings on ethnic grounds in 2008.

“The suspect has revealed that it was in 2008 when the party decided to expedite killings on ethnic grounds and for that deputy convener of the party Anis Qaimkhani chaired a meeting at Khursheed Memorial Hall,” the Rangers statement said.

“The meeting was attended by all sector in-charges of the party. The in-charge of the MQM’s Kara­chi Tanzeemi Committee, Hammad Siddiqui, also attended the meeting, during which directives were issued to expedite killings on ethnic grounds.”

Earlier Rangers personnel, along with their prosecutor, produced Umair Siddiqui, his face muffled, before the ATC-II amid tight security. They informed the court that the suspect was detained upon receiving ‘credible information’ about his involvement in offences related to extortion and target killing, punishable under the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997.

After due process, the detainee was placed under preventive detention for three months for grilling under Section 11EEEE(1) of the ATA and his production along with copies of notification, detention order and jail warrant made for the court’s information in line with Section 11EEEE, they added.

The suspect disputed the Rangers claim that he was picked up from Azizabad during an operation a few days ago. He informed the court that he was taken into custody from his house in Gulshan-i-Maymar on the night of Feb 15.

‘The suspect discloses that 250-300 assassins are hiding around Nine Zero’

The Rangers also accused Umair of being involved in buying arms for his party from a Quetta-based dealer and in one of the deals he acquired some 40 AK-47 assault rifles, eight light machineguns, six G-3 rifles, five China rifles, a rocket-launcher and three machineguns.

“The suspect has disclosed that there are several hideouts of target-killers around Nine Zero where some 250 to 300 assassins are staying. In February all sector in-charges were directed to move party arms to Nine Zero to avoid their recovery during raids by law-enforcement agencies. Those arms were transported from one place to another in ambulances,” the statement said.

The suspect seconded a report produced by a joint interrogation team of the Rangers before the Sindh High Court last month that the Baldia Town factory fire was in fact the result of an arson attack carried out by MQM’s sector in-charge of the area, Rahman alias Bhola.

Talking to reporters after the hearing, Advocate Mohammad Jiwani, of the MQM’s legal wing, said that Umair was a party worker and he was subjected to torture and inhuman treatment during detention.

PPI adds: The Rangers claimed that Umair Siddiqui formed a team of target-killers which killed approximately 120 people, including Shaukat, a Rangers Lance Naik, and Sabihullah, a nephew of MQM leader Amir Khan.

According to Rangers spokesperson, the suspect was also involved in rigging during the general elections of 2013, adding 60 to 70 MQM workers cast fake votes for MQM candidate Faisal Subzwari in PS-126.

Published in Dawn March 15th , 2015

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