KARACHI, Oct 1: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement took out a procession in front of the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum on Monday afternoon to express resentment against the manhandling of MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar in Islamabad on Saturday.

A group of lawyers had manhandled Dr Sattar outside a hospital in Islamabad on Saturday, leaving him injured.

He was first taken to the Polyclinic and then shifted to the PIMS hospital in Islamabad and later flown to Karachi where he was admitted to the Ziauddin hospital.

The participants of the procession were carrying banners condemning the violent incident and demanding arrest of those involved. The rally was attended by women and lawyers in large numbers.

MQM chief

Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain said on Monday that, exercising its democratic right, the MQM would protest in a peaceful manner against all types of violence.

He made this observation while addressing party workers and leaders, by the telephone from London, after they held peaceful protest demonstrations in the city against the manhandling of Dr Farooq Sattar, at a gathering at the MQM headquarters here, says a statement.

He said the MQM would stage peaceful demonstrations in accordance with the law and constitution against the violence which, he said, was its democratic right.

He praised party leaders, workers and supporters for taking out the procession and holding protest demonstrations in the hot weather and during Ramazan.

Nasreen visits Farooq

Naib Nazim of Karachi Nasreen Jalil visited Dr Farooq Sattar in the hospital on Monday afternoon and inquired about his condition.

She was accompanied by City Council members Asif Siddiqi, Ahsan Siddiqi, Sher Afgan Khan, Mohammed Siddiq and Sarwat Arif.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Jalil condemned the police action against journalists and the attack by some lawyers on Dr Sattar in Islamabad and termed it an inhuman act.

She referred to claims of the lawyers’ organisations that they were struggling for the restoration of democratic traditions and the supremacy of the constitution, and said what had happened in Islamabad on Sept 29 was enough to negate their claims.

She said the way police acted against journalists and certain lawyers attacked Dr Sattar, she did not expect this from the protectors of law. This had trampled the sanctity of law and the black coat, she remarked.—APP