KARACHI: Rangers personnel arrested Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Rabita Committee member Kamal Malik during a raid on his house early Thursday, the party said in a statement on its website.

The MQM said Rangers conducted a thorough search of Malik's house, during which they seized his academic records and certificates.

"A heavy contingent of Rangers raided the house of Kamal Malik on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday around 2:30am. They scaled the walls of his home and arrested him. No reason for the arrest has been given," the MQM said.

Malik is believed to be "seriously ill" and had undergone a liver transplant two years ago, the party said.

In its statement, the MQM called for Malik's release.

MQM leader Farooq Sattar while speaking to the press on Thursday morning said he believed the Karachi operation against terrorists and criminal elements was now targeting the MQM.

"Our only complaint is that for the past few months, the operation has been diverted towards the MQM instead of eliminating terrorists and criminal elements," he said.

"We have fully cooperated with law enforcement agencies since the Karachi operation began," he added.

He reiterated the party's support for the operation.

The tale of MQM-Rangers relations

In one of the most significant developments since the start of Karachi operation, Pakistan Rangers Sindh personnel raided MQM headquarters earlier in March this year and claimed to have confiscated a huge cache of weapons and arresting a number of suspected target killers and criminals along with the Rabita Committee member Amir Khan.

In one of his television interviews after the raid, MQM chief Altaf Hussain had issued a statement against the paramilitary force prompting Rangers spokesperson Col Tahir Mehmood to file a case against him for allegedly threatening Rangers personnel.

Hussain was declared a proclaimed offender on September 30 by an anti terrorism court in the same case while the police too had filed a charge-sheet against him.

What further aggravated the situation was MQM chief's July 12 speech in which he accused Rangers chief and his subordinates for violating army code of conduct in Karachi operation as a number of First Information Reports (FIR) were registered against Hussain after the speech, with complainants accusing him of treason by inciting people against the armed forces of the country.

A number of courts have declared him absconder for not appearing in the cases registered against him after the infamous speech.

The second raid on Nine Zero

Rangers raided the MQM headquarters again on July 20 arresting two other Rabita Committee members Qamar Mansoor and Kaiful Warah.

Director-General (DG) Rangers Sindh Major-General Bilal Akbar later claimed that the duo were apprehended for "arranging and facilitating" what he called "hate speeches against peace of Karachi”.

Related: MQM protests in parliament against ‘extrajudicial killings’

Ban on Altaf's images, speeches

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on September 7 imposed a ban on media coverage of Altaf and directed the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) to implement a ban on the broadcast of images and speeches of MQM chief across all electronic and print media.

Following the order, MQM chief through his counsel Asma Jahangir filed a petition in Supreme Court of Pakistan requesting the apex court to declare the LHC decision null and void calling it against Article 19 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Also Read: MQM asks authorities to stop ‘extra-judicial killings’

The deployment of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, in Karachi is requisitioned under Article 147 of the Constitution, and under Clause 1 of Sub-section 3 of Section 4 of Anti- Terrorism Act 1997, authorised to prevent the commission of terrorist acts, or scheduled offences in notified area for the punishment of terrorist in accordance with the provision of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

Called in 1989 to assist the police in Karachi by the then PPP-led government amid a deteriorating law and order situation, the Rangers started enjoying more powers in 2009 — again extended by PPP-led governments both in the centre and the province, which allowed the force to search houses and arrest suspects without warrants.