KARACHI, Sept 27: Police arrested 30 activists of a political alliance, including the union council Nazim, for ransacking the Muttahida Qaumi Movement election office in North Karachi late on Thursday night.

Police said that workers belonging to the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal stormed into an MQM election office in Sector 15-A-2 North Karachi. They removed the party’s election symbols and flags from the office, ransacked the office of MQM candidates Imamuddin Shahzad, contesting for the national assembly seat and Syed Haider Abbas, standing for the provincial assembly seat.

Police said that UC-9 Nazim Farhan Sohail, along with 29 other MMA workers carrying clubs and stones attacked the Muttahida office.

They were caught red-handed by a police mobile while they were about to dismount a large kite, which is the election symbol of Muttahida.

Police arrested the Nazim and 29 other workers on a complaint of the Muttahida workers. They registered an FIR — 424/2002 — against the MMA workers. The Muttahida men also lodged an FIR — 425/2002 — against their rivals, a police official of the Sir Syed Town police station said.

Meanwhile, a statment issued by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Rabita Committee condemned what it termed as a ‘terrorist attack’ by the alleged party at the MQM’s rabita office in Buffer Zone.

It said that the armed men ransacked the office, tearing party flags and posters, and tortured a party worker after kidnapping him.

The Rabita Committee said that the attack on the office was led by the UC-9 Nazim and councillors belonging to the alleged party.

The statment further added that similarly, in different parts of the city, Haqiqi ‘terrorists’ are resorting to provocative tactics against the Muttahida.

The Rabita Committee also denounced the indiscriminate raids on its party workers’ houses by the law-enforcement agencies.