Altaf slates crackdown on activists in Hyderabad

By our correspondent

KARACHI: The self-exiled chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf Hussain, has strongly condemned the crackdown on the party men in Hyderabad.

In a statement issued on Thursday from London, he said that Nawaz government got panicky over the Muttahida's peaceful anti-government campaign and it was now trying to curb masses through state terrorism. He said that the Nawaz government earlier used force to refrain the people from participating the Muttahida's August 14 rally and now when the party announced to hold a public meeting in Pakka Qila, the government resorted to state terrorism. He said that the police arrested the Zonal Organiser of the party Salahuddin and MPA Afzal Shah and also grabbed the Pukka Qila ground. He said that the entire police force of the province had been deputed at Hyderabad "to victimise the masses".

Altaf Hussain further said that it was the constitutional, legal, and democratic right of every political party to protest against the government brutalities but the government was usurping Muttahida's rights. He appealed to all the human rights organisations to take notice of the issue and raise their voice against the government.

Meanwhile, the Muttahida MNAs have demanded of the president and the COAS to take note of the callous and dictatorial measures of the government in Hyderabad and immediately release all the arrested party workers and leaders.

They have strongly condemned the deployment of heavy police and removal of all the paraphernalia for holding the public meeting in Hyderabad. In a statement, the MNAs demanded that Nawaz government, which is violating the Constitution and basic human rights, should immediately step down. The MQM MNAs have strongly condemned the dismantling of the camp of the public meeting in Hyderabad as well as the arrest of MPA Afzal Shah and Hyderabad Zonal in charge Salahuddin.

They alleged that the Hyderabad administration had created scare and panic in the city since last many days to sabotage the public meeting. These MNAs said that rulers wanted to gag the opposition and were trying to impose a one-man, one-party rule in Sindh.