MQM PUBLIC RALLY --- 25 SEPTEMBER 1999

INDISCRIMINATE RAIDS, ARRESTS OF THE MQM LEADERS, ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES, WORKERS AND SUPPORTERS CONTINUES TO SABOTAGE THE PEACEFUL RALLY OF THE OPPOSITION:
HEAVY USE OF TEAR-GAS SHELLING, BULLET SHOOTING & BATON CHARGE BY THE POLICE
Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Deputy Convenor of MQM was arrested from Defence/Clifton area of Karachi
The police tried to arrest Dr. Farooq Sattar, MQM Parliamentary leader of Sindh assembly but the media men present there resisted and he managed to escape.
Mr Zahid Qureshi, Member Sindh Assembly has also been arrested and taken to police station for torture and extract confessional statements.
HOUSE OF SENATOR MUSTAPHA KAMAL OF MQM CORDONED OFF BY HEAVY CONTINGENT OF POLICE
NINE ZERO RAIDED TWICE -- UNOFFICIAL CURFEW HAS BEEN IMPOSED IN AZIAZABAD, KARACHI
HOUSE OF MR. ABDUL QADIR LAKHANI RAIDED -- HIS TWO YOUNG SONS ARRESTED
LADY SENATOR NASREEN JALIL OF MQM ARRESTED FROM HER RESIDENCE

Karachi Opposition Leader of MQM Aftab Sheikh: Victory signs as they are arrested.

A police officer arrests female opposition supporters who partook in an anti-government rally, in Karachi, Pakistan, Saturday, Sept. 25, 1999. Security forces patrolled the streets of the port city of Karachi Saturday and arrested scores of activists in what opposition members said was a bid to prevent an anti-government rally. (AP Photo/Zia Mazhar)

Pakistan time: 5.30pm

Heavy Contingents of Police and other Law Enforcement Agencies have blocked entire city of Karachi and is carrying out indiscriminate arrests of the Leaders, elected representatives, workers and supporters of the MQM. Hundreds of women were arrested, brutally tortured and taken to unknown detention centres.

According to recent reports Police has arrested another Member National Assembly of the MQM, Hassan Musanna Alvi from Clifton, at Shawn Round-about.

Pakistan time: 4.30pm

Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Deputy Convenor of MQM was arrested from Defence/Clifton area of Karachi before he could join the protest rally against the brutalities of Nawaz government. The police used brute force and did not allow women protestors to enter the assembly area.

Also Mr Zahid Qureshi, Member Sindh Assembly has also been arrested and taken to police station for torture and extract confessional statements.

The police tried to arrest Dr. Farooq Sattar, MQM Parliamentary leader of Sindh assembly but the media men present there resisted and he managed to escape.

The arrests of opposition leaders, intimidation, torture and offers of bribes to change allegiance has become a norm for the corrupt despotic government of Nawaz Sharif. The international community should take note, as we have another Kosovo and East Timur in the making!

Pakistan time: 6.30am

We have just received the news that Lady Senator Nasreen Jalil, Deputy Convenor of MQM Co-ordination Committee, has been arrested. According to details, heavy contingent of police and ladies police, led by SHO Lubna Tiwana of Women Police Station in police mobiles (118 and 184) and other private cars, raided the residence of Senator Nasreen Jalil (Mrs) in Defence, Karachi, and arrested her. During the raid the police used abusive language and no arrest warrant was shown.

Pakistan time: 3.30am

The personnel of Nazimabad Police Station raided the residence of Mr. Abdul Qadir Lakhani, Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh belonging to the MQM, in Nazimabad, Karachi. As he was not present in the house, the raiding party ransacked the house, looted valuables and arrested his two innocent sons Abdul Raheem 27 and Mohammad Shafi 25. The raiding party also misbehaved with the family members and particularly threatened his two daughters-in-law. Both Abdul Raheem and Mohammad Shafi were brutally tortured and ruthlessly dragged towards the police mobile. The raiding party has threatened the family of dire consequences if they fail to produce Mr. Abdul Qadir Lakhani.

Moreover, it has also been reported that police is raiding the homes of different leaders of Grand Democratic Alliance. To date, they have arrested Mr. Mushtaq Mirza of PDP, Mr. Yahya Hussaini of UDF and Mr. Saeed Chawla of PPP from their homes.

Pakistan time: 2.00am

Second Raid at Nine Zero: DSP Irfan Bahadur, son of notorious police officer SHO Bahadur Ali, Chaudhry Aslam and SHO Ghazanfar Kazmi along with heavy contingent of police have raided Nine Zero from the back door for the second time tonight. At present they are still within the premises of Nine Zero where he is using threatening language to harass the Members of MQM Elder Wing. They immediately climbed to the first floor of Nine Zero, the resting place of the women workers of MQM. The police used dirty language and molested the female members. The raiding party did not even spared an old lady present at Nine Zero. They molested and physically manhandled her.

The raiding party ransacked the office and tore the portraits of Mr. Altaf Hussain, Founder and Leader of MQM from the office. The entire area surrounding the Nine Zero is swarming with police personnel. Eyewitnesses have reported that these police personnel were under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Pakistan time: 1.05am

DSP Chaudhry Aslam of Nazimabad Police Station has threatened Dr. Farooq Sattar of dire consequences if he proceeds with the tomorrow's public rally. He was speaking to Dr. Farooq Sattar over the telephone. Later he called the residence of Dr. Farooq Sattar and threatened his family. Abusive language was used on both the occasions.

Pakistan time: 12.40am

According to recent reports, heavy contingents of police have cordoned off the residence of Senator Mustapha Kamal Rizvi belonging to the MQM, in Defence Society, Karachi. More than a dozen police mobile are at present circling the house and no one is allowed to enter or leave the area.

First Raid at Nine Zero: Furthermore, several police mobiles raided Nine Zero, the Head Office of MQM in Azizabad, Karachi. They were led by notorious police SHO Ghazanfar Kazmi. The Police threatened the occupants to vacate the place immediately and stop the on-going work towards tomorrow's public rally.

It should be recalled that MQM has announced to hold a public rally tomorrow at Shaun Chowrangi, Karachi. This latest move of the Administration in Karachi is an indication of the harassment and undemocratic steps of the Government of Nawaz Sharif to restrain the MQM for holding tomorrow's public rally.

Earlier on 11 September 1999, the Karachi Police had unleashed a reign of terror upon the participants of the MQM public rally including the leaders, workers and supporters of MQM. On that day Senator Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Lady Senator Nasreen Jalil, Dr. Farooq Sattar were brutally tortured and unlawfully arrested along with hundreds of women supporters of MQM.

Cops Quash Pakistan Opposition Rally    (Associated Press)
Pakistan Police Block Rally With Arrests  (Reuters)
Thousands held in Karachi as police foil anti-government rally    AFP
Protest stopped in Karachi BBC South Asia