Law enforcement agencies (LEAs) on Saturday intercepted and prevented Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) activists from visiting key graveyards in Karachi and Hyderabad to honour the party's 'martyrs'.

The party has annually observed December 9 as Martyrs' Day. Party supremo Altaf Hussain’s brother, Nasir Hussain, and nephew, Arif Hussain, were killed on Dec 9, 1995, in Karachi.

This year too, MQM-L's leaders had urged their workers to visit the Shuhda Qabristan — situated in the Azizabad area of Karachi — in a show of power in the city. However, a large number of LEA personnel had been deployed at roads leading to the graveyard to thwart the attempt.

"Around 50 persons, most of them women, tried to proceed, but the contingent of police and Rangers already deployed there did not allow them," SHO Azizabad Jamal Leghari told Dawn.

"They failed in their attempt to reach the Shuhada Qabristan," he said.

He said he was not sure about any arrests made in this regard and said that he would be able to speak about detentions only when he has more information.

Meanwhile, policewomen in Hyderabad also had to push back advancing female workers of MQM-L as they tried to enter a graveyard in the Pucca Qilla of the city to visit the graves of party workers killed in different periods.

The workers were pushed towards the shrine of Sakhi Abdul Wahab Shah Jillani. No untoward incident was reported.

A heavy contingent of police had already padlocked the graveyard to prevent activists from visiting the graves of party workers.

The roads leading to the historic fort had been closed with barbed wire from the Gari Khata and Guru Nagar sides since morning. Small arteries that connect to the fort also remained closed with barbed wires.

Last year too, police had used force and resorted to heavy aerial firing to prevent political activists from gathering. Police had also arrested several activists of the party during the crackdown last year.

Separately, the MQM Pakistan faction hosted a fateha khwani in the Scout Ground, Latifabad, to pay tribute to those party workers who were killed over the years in Karachi, Hyderabad, and other areas.