A Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) worker on Monday accused Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) MNA Salman Mujahid Baloch of threatening him at gunpoint in Karachi — a claim the MNA has denied.

Ahsan Alavi, a Karachi resident associated with PTI's social media team, in a post on Facebook group Halaat Updates ─ where Karachiites discuss everything from electricity outages to open manholes ─ alleged that Baloch and his guards pulled their guns on him and his driver, and used vulgar language against them after Alavi's driver was unable to move his car, the path of which was obstructed by motorcycles, to let the lawmaker's vehicle pass.

"MQM MNA Salman Mujahid Baloch pointed a gun at me and my driver. Because my driver couldn’t move the car and make way for his big black Vigo since there were bikes parked all over the road and it was a small lane in DHA phase II extension," Alavi claimed.

"He took his gun out and loaded it," he added, alleging that the gun was pointed at him and his driver. "And then all of his guards came forward and pointed their guns at me and the driver too. And then he hit my driving seat window with the butt of his gun."

"I'm still in shock because I could see the rage in his eyes and was almost sure that he will pull the trigger," Alavi said.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Alavi, accompanied by PTI leaders Ali Zaidi and MPA Khurram Sher Zaman and Imran Ismail filed an official complaint regarding the incident at the Gizri police station, with Ismail as the complainant. Meanwhile, Ismail also approached the provincial home minister to take action against the lawmaker.

Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal assured Ismail that no one would be allowed to take law into their own hands and ordered the removal of Baloch's police protocol. He also ordered Additional Inspector General (AIG) Mushtaq Meher to investigate the incident.

When contacted by Dawn.com, Salman Baloch rejected the allegations and said that he was not present in the area [DHA Phase II] when the incident happened. He claimed the story was propaganda being circulated against him.

Baloch rejoined the MQM-P earlier this week as the party is in the throes of a rift, divided into two camps ─ the Farooq Sattar-led PIB Colony group, and Amir Khan's Bahadurabad faction ─ due to disagreements over nominees for the upcoming Senate elections.