KARACHI: At the end of the day of mourning, observed across Sindh by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) against killings of its workers and office bearers on Friday, Dr Farooq Sattar claimed that a conspiracy is being hatched to keep the party away from contesting the May 11 elections, DawnNews reported.

Speaking at a press conference, the deputy convener of the party’s Rabita (coordination) Committee said that electoral candidates and party sympathisers are being targeted through a conspiracy.

The MQM had observed a “peaceful day of mourning” in Karachi and other parts of the province denouncing brutal killings of its party activists and office bearers in the recent past.

The party, late on Thursday, had appealed to its workers to remain peaceful and hoist black flags throughout the day. Traffic and business activities across the province largely remained unhindered during the protest.

Speaking to journalists, Sattar said the party has been kept away from carrying on with their routine election campaign though a planned conspiracy. “Our democratic and constitutional right is being snatched,” he said.

The MQM leader said that all parties are running their election campaigns while his party is busy in funerals of its slain activists.  He said four party supporters were kidnapped and tortured before being killed on Friday also.

However, Farooq Sattar added that MQM will not boycott the coming general elections, the historic event in which an elected government will take over from public representatives for the first time in the country’s history.

Sattar said the party will formally initiate their election campaign from Saturday. Th consolidated list of electoral candidates will also be made public tomorrow, he added.

Meanwhile, the funeral prayers had been offered of Mohammad Faisal, the MQM’s local leader in Karachi’s Mehmoodabad, who was killed by unidentified attackers on Thursday.

Earlier, speaking to the media, MQM leader Faisal Sabzwari blamed the law enforcement agencies of letting the real miscreants get away and nabbing the party workers by conducting raids at their residences. “This is conspiracy of keeping MQM away from the electoral process,” he added.