KARACHI: Terming the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and Jamaat-i-Islami a ‘political wing of the Taliban’, senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Dr Farooq Sattar said on Sunday that the recent killing of four Rangers soldiers in a militant-infested area was an attempt to get the Dec 5 polling for the third round of the local government elections in Karachi postponed.

Speaking at a press conference at the party’s headquarters — Nine Zero — Dr Sattar said that the JI and PTI seeing their imminent defeat in the election in Karachi had started talking about postponement of the polling on the pretext of killings of police and Rangers personnel.

He said that the law and order situation in 2013 was worst when the country went for the general elections but the two parties, which entered into a seat-adjustment agreement with each other to jointly contest the LG elections in Karachi, did not demand postponement of the [general] elections.

‘PTI, JI political wings of Taliban’

Dr Sattar, who is the MQM parliamentary party leader in the National Assembly, said that his party was also shocked by the killing of Rangers personnel in Ittehad Town and he himself spoke to the Rangers director general on phone to condole the deaths on behalf of the party. “I told him that the MQM is willing to play its role in curbing the menace of terrorism,” he added.

Accompanied by other MQM leaders including Waseem Akhtar and Syed Sardar Ahmed, Dr Sattar recalled that after withdrawing resignations of its parliamentarians from the Senate and the national and provincial assemblies, the MQM felt that it should resume its normal political activities.

“However, what is happening with us over the past two days is beyond our comprehension,” he said, referring to raids and arrest of party workers by Rangers in an apparent ‘renewed crackdown’.

He claimed that 33 MQM workers, including the candidates contesting the LG elections, were arrested within the last two days and it seemed that the political freedom given to the party was being curbed again.

The MQM leader alleged that Rangers personnel were removing party’s banners and flags put up in different areas. “It appears that the policy has been changed again and a conspiracy is being hatched to hand over Karachi to someone else.”

He said although the law enforcement agencies got evidence about the involvement of banned outfits in the killing of Rangers personnel in Ittehad Town, the Rangers were carrying out raids in MQM strongholds and arresting innocent workers.

He claimed that since the beginning of the Karachi operation, around 5,000 raids had been carried out on MQM offices, including its headquarters, but the law-enforcers did not face any resistance.

He appealed to the prime minister, interior minister, Rangers DG and others to take steps for foiling the “conspiracy to postpone the LG elections”.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2015