KARACHI, Dec 9: Four leaders of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement were picked up by law-enforcement agencies on Monday morning, the party sources said.

Police confirmed the detentions.

A senior police officer said police raided several place in Rifah-i-Aam Society in Malir and picked up four leaders of the MQM-H. If it was established that they were involved in old criminal cases, then they would be arrested, he added.

Two applications were filed in the court of district and sessions judge, East, Ali Sain Matilo, challenging the detention of Iqbal Qureshi and Feroze Haider, leaders of the Haqiqi.

The judge issued notices to the authorities for Tuesday.

A spokesman for the Haqiqi told Dawn that police, accompanied by the Rangers, raided several places in Rifah-i-Aam Society in Malir early in the morning and picked up vice chairman of the MQM-H, Iqbal Qureshi, joint secretary, Asif Shaharyar, and two members of the party’s Central Executive Committee, Feroze Hyder and Shareef Khan.

He said law-enforcement agencies launched an operation against the party some 22 days back, and they had been conducting intermittent raids to arrest leaders and activists of the party. Raids had been conducted on different places in Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Landhi-Korangi.

He claimed that police and the Rangers had so far picked up more than 1,000 workers and activists of the party in pursuance of the demand by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement for extending support to government formation in Sindh and to strengthen the government at the centre.

The director-general Rangers Sindh, IG Sindh and SHOs Shah Faisal, Landhi and Al-Falah police stations have been cited as respondents in the applications, PPI adds.