KARACHI/HYDERABAD: As many as 30 leaders and workers of the Altaf Hussain-led Muttahida Qaumi Movement, commonly known as MQM-London, were picked up in Karachi and Hyderabad for violating a ban on rallies on Monday, officials said.

In Karachi, they said that the 24 activists were arrested when a large number of MQM-L workers and sympathisers, including women, tried to reach the Jinnah ground on the call of their London-based leadership, who asked their followers to go there and pay respect at the monument built there in memory of MQM activists and supporters killed over the years to mark ‘Youm-i-Shuhda’.

In view of the MQM-L call, the Karachi commissioner, on the request of the city police, on Monday issued a notification and imposed a ban under Section 144 of the criminal procedure code on pillion riding of motorcycle, protests, demonstrations, rallies and assembly of more than four persons in district Central for two days.

Witnesses said that since early morning the police and paramilitary Rangers sealed the road from Mukka Chowk to the Jinnah ground in order to stop the MQM-L workers from going there.

Case registered against 24 workers for violating Section 144 in district Central; six picked up in Hyderabad

Footage went viral on social media showed policemen chasing and arresting MQM-L workers near Mukka Chowk. However, they did not arrest any woman worker who were seen shouting slogans in the videos posted on social media. SSP-Central Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi confirmed to Dawn that total 24 workers of the MQM-L had been detained for violation of Section 144.

He, however, denied that the law enforcers resorted to baton charge to stop the workers from heading towards the Jinnah ground.

Later in the evening, the Azizabad police registered a case against the 24 activists under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Meanwhile, senior London-based MQM leader Mustafa Azizabadi said in a statement that former MNA Nisar Panhwar and Aftab Baqai were among “a large number of held workers”.

He condemned the police action against peaceful participants of the rally and demanded their immediate release.

In Hyderabad, police picked up around half a dozen activists of the MQM-L when they tried to march towards the Shuhada graveyard in Pucca Qilla on Monday.

SHO Imran Rasheed of the Fort police station said that the activists, who had arrived from various parts of the city, gathered in Gali No.1 of the historic fort and headed towards the graveyard to offer fateha on the graves of their party colleagues killed in different incidents in past.

The activists, including women, raised pro-Altaf slogans and carried banners as they began their march to the graveyard. They insisted that they should be allowed to pay their respects to their slain colleagues.

Hyderabad SSP Dr Farrukh Ali said that a case would be registered against the arrested workers.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2024