Killings cannot browbeat Muttahida: Nasreen Jalil

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Condemning the 'extrajudicial killing' of another party worker, Senator Nasreen Jalil of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Wednesday said the government wanted to harass the party workers but neither killings nor death sentences could refrain them from struggle for the rights of people of Sindh.

Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club, Senator Nasreen said Muhammad Rafiq, an MQM activist, was killed extra-judicially by police on Tuesday. She said Rafiq's father, Muhammad Rasheed, was picked up by police two days prior to the incident, subjected to torture, and forced to divulge the hid-out of his son. She said eventually Rafiq was taken into custody while Rasheed was released on August 31.

Flanked by Dr Farooq Sattar, Kanwar Khalid Younus, Abdul Qadir Lakhani and Wasim Akhtar, the senator said 22 activists of the MQM were killed extra-judicially during the governor's rule while after induction of Ghous Ali Shah, Rafiq was the eighth victim of police.

She said 34 out of 100 SHOs serving in Karachi indulged in extra-judicial killing and other heinous crimes but no action was taken against them. Rather they were rewarded for oppressing the MQM workers and innocent people.

The MQM leader said Ghous was the man responsible for turning Karachi into hell as it was during his tenure in 1986 that violence broke out between Pukhtoon and Mohajirs, and Shias and Sunnis.

She said now Ghous was using all tactics to foil the opposition protest campaign and the fresh incidents of extra-judicial killings was part of government conspiracy to harass the people and political activists. She said the MQM protest meeting would be held at any cost on September 3 at the announced venue and also a province-wide strike would be observed next day.

When a reporter drew the MQM leader's attention that the MQM had given the government a deadline till midnight of September 3 for acceptance of demands of withdrawal of GST and others, and asked as to how they were determined to observe the strike on September 4, Dr Farooq replied: "Seemingly the government is not in a mood to pay any heed to our demands. As such, we are compelled to say the strike would be observed."

Dr Farooq said government functionaries were threatening the traders, shopkeepers and transporters to keep their businesses open on September 4 which was again illegal and violation of the basic rights of the people.

He said the police resorted to indiscriminate arrests of MQM workers and supporters and a sector in charge of North Nazimabad, Arif Jamal, was among the 800 activists so far nabbed. He apprehended that Arif's life was in danger.

The MQM leader also condemned and expressed concern over shoot-at-sight orders to the police and Rangers on September 4. Meanwhile, the MQM chief Altaf Hussain has strongly condemned the murder of Rafique.

In a statement issued from London, he said the prejudiced government of Nawaz Sharif was bent upon the genocide of Mohajirs and claimed that more than 350 workers and supporters had been killed so far.

He asked of the president, COAS and CJ Supreme Court to take notice of the continued extra-judicial killings. He demanded that the killers of Rafique be arrested and awarded stern punishment.

In another press release, Muttahida MNAs have demanded of the President, COAS and CJ Supreme Court to take notice of the raids and arrests of MQM workers. They demanded that these workers should be released immediately.