HYDERABAD: Two Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists, Syed Aman Ali Rizvi and Inayat Ali Sheikh, who had allegedly been taken away by personnel of some law enforcement agency on July 3, held a news conference in the local press club and claimed that they were brought to Latifabad and released by unknown persons.

Rizvi announced his dissociation from the MQM-London after jointly raising slogan of “Pakistan Zindabad” with Sheikh. Mr Sheikh’s family had claimed in a petition that he was associated with the party, but at Tuesday’s press conference Sheikh distanced himself from the MQM-L. Rizvi said he had been the sector in-charge in the party’s organisational structure till Aug 22, 2016, when MQM founder Altaf Hussain delivered a speech containing anti-Pakistan statements. He said he [Rizvi] remained inactive since then.

“No sensible Pakistani could support the anti-state statements,” he said, adding that anyone doing so “deserved death”.

Inayat Sheikh said he didn’t have any connection with the party before or after Aug 22, 2016. He said he could not even think of committing sedition.

Rizvi’s father had filed a petition in the Sindh High Court’s Hyderabad circuit bench for his recovery. The court had ordered formation of joint investigation team (JIT) for the recovery of Rizvi as well as other missing activists. Advocate Shakeel Zai had filed separate petitions in court on behalf of the families of several such victims.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2017