HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists and supporters held a protest demonstration here on Sunday after Rangers personnel allegedly picked up three activists — members zonal committee in the party’s organisational structure — in pre-dawn raids on their houses.

MQM lawmakers from Hyderabad claimed that chairmen of two union committees Sohail Mashhadi (who is also a former MPA) and Rafiq Ameri, and another activist, Faheem Rahil, were taken away by the Rangers personnel from their houses in Siddique Plaza, Resham Gali and Latifabad Unit-9, respectively.

The protest was led by MQM coordination committee member Gulfaraz Khan Khattak, MNAs Iqbal Qadri and Wasim Hussain, MPAs Sabir Kaimkhani, Dilawar Qureshi, Rana Ansar and Ayesha Aftab, Advocate Mahfooz Yar Khan and others. Family members of the three detained activists were also among the protesters, who were carrying placards inscribed with slogans for their release and against raids on the houses of MQM workers and supporters.

Speaking to the media, Mr Khattak claimed that around 5,000 MQM activists and supporters had already faced detention while around 4,000 booked in criminal cases. Around 1,500 party workers had been jailed so far, he said. He said that Mashhadi, Ajmeri and Raheel had no criminal case registered against them at any police station.

He said that around 200 MQM workers had been in the recent past but not a single culprit was arrested.

Mushhadi’s son Muneebur Rehman, Ajmeri’s wife Naureen Zareen and Raheel’s wife Farah Raheel lodged separate applications at the A-Section (Latifabad), B-Section (Latifabad) and City police stations, respectively, for the recovery of their loved ones. Rehman stated in his application that Rangers and police personnel, along with a man who had muffled his face, entered the family’s flat in Siddiq Plaza and took away his father. The two women also lodged similar complaints.

Mr Khattak, MNA Qadri, MPA Qureshi and other party leaders accompanied all the three complainants when they visited the police stations.

Sohail Mashhadi has remained an MPA and minister for religious affairs in 1990 when the MQM was a coalition partner in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in Sindh. He is tipped as the next deputy mayor of Hyderabad. He had left the MQM and rejoined it after a long period. In the recent local government election, the MQM fielded him as a UC chairman after inducting him in the party’s zonal committee as a member. Same is the case of Rafiq Ajmeri.

Meanwhile, MPA Rahid Khilji has said that he had lodged complaints about the late Thursday evening attacks on MQM zonal and unit offices by activists and supporters of the Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) and sought registration of two FIRs against the attackers but no case had been registered so far.

MIRPURKHAS: A large number of MQM workers and supporters held a demonstration outside the local press club on Sunday to protest the alleged detention of three senior activists in Hyderabad by Rangers personnel.

The protesters included women many of them accompanying their children.

Led by MPA Dr Zafar Kamali, Mujeebul Haq, the zonal in-charge in the party’s organisational structure, and Afaq Ahmed, the protesters raised slogan for the release of their detained colleagues.

Speaking to them, MPA Dr Kamali, former MPA Fareed Ahmed, Fauzia Nasir and others urged the higher authorities to take notice of raids, arrests and detention of MQM workers and supporters without any valid reason.

They claimed that the operation against terrorists, criminals and corrupt elements had now turned against the MQM.

The alleged that MQM workers were being subjected to torture in detention to force them to change their loyalty.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2016