IMPOSITION OF GOVERNOR RULE IN SINDH – RAIDS AND ARRESTS OF MQM WORKERS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS INTENSIFIES
Karachi: November 1, 1998
Since the imposition of ‘Governor Rule’ and the suspension of the provincial government of Sindh in southern Pakistan, the Law Enforcement Agencies have conducted numerous raids on the residences of MQM leaders, officer bearers, workers and supporters. During these raids several MQM office bearers and workers have been arrested. In many cases where they were not available their family members have been taken into custody. Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) is the third largest political party of Pakistan and the second largest in the province of Sindh.
DETAILS OF RAIDS AND ARRESTS IN KARACHI:
1 November 1998:
1- Jabbar Ahmed, age: 37 year, son of Basheer Ahmed, resident of New Iqbalabad, Cantt. Bazaar. He is a worker of MQM Unit 108, Sector Shah Faisal Colony. The personnel of Shah Faisal Police Station and the CIA Police conducted a joint raid at his house and arrested him. It is to be noted that he is a heart patient. The Police is demanding Rs. 20,000 from the family as bribe for his release.
31 October 1998:
1- At around 4 a.m., the personnel of Sharah-e-Faisal Police Station raided the house (48, Old Iqbalabad, Drigh Road, Karachi) of Ashraf son of Noor Mohammad, who is the in-charge of MQM Unit 108, Sector Shah Faisal Colony, and arrested him. The raiding party misbehaved with the family members and physically abused the male members.
2- At around 3.30 a.m., the personnel of Pak Colony Police Station raided the house of Noor Mohammad, ex Member of Provincial Assembly of Sindh and at present the In-charge of MQM Pak Colony Sector. They entered the house forcibly, ransacked the house and demolished the valuables and furniture. As Noor Mohammad was not present in the house, therefore, they arrested his two young sons Hamid Noor (age: 16 year) and Asif Noor (age: 13 year). Despite the desperate pleas of their mother the personnel of Police took them away. It is to be noted that one of the two youngsters is suffering from acute fever.
3- At around 1.30 a.m., the personnel of Sharah-e-Faisal Police Station and CIA Police raided the house of Ms. Razia Sarwar, a worker of MQM Ladies Wing, at Gulistan-e-Jauhar. During the raid they ransacked the house and misbehaved with Ms. Razia Sarwar. They were also inquiring about the whereabouts of her two sons Nasir Aziz and Amir Aziz. The personnel of Police also showed the family a list containing the names of MQM workers and told them that they have received orders from their superiors to shoot them and if the family does not co-operate then arrest them as well. The raiding party left after completing ransacking the house and threatened to return tomorrow.
4- In the early hours, the personnel of Saeedabad Police Station, CIA Police and other law enforcement agencies raided the house of an MQM worker Shaukat in Baldia Town. In his absence they arrested his brother Liaquat son of Fateh.
The same raiding party then raided the house of an MQM worker Mohammad Hanif son of Mohammad Ibrahim, who was murdered earlier. When they were told by the family that Mohammad Hanif was not alive and that he has been murdered, the raiding party manhandled the family members and misbehaved with the ladies present in the house.
The raiding party then raided the house of another MQM worker Shafiq of Unit 113. In his absence they ransacked the house and looted the valuables.
In the same area the raiding party raided the house (House No. 400, Sector 4, Baldia Town, Karachi) of an MQM worker Liaquat of Unit 112. In his absence they arrested his younger brother Shaukat son of Ata Mohammad.
5- At around 2.30 a.m., the personnel of Saddar Police Station and other law enforcement agencies raided the house of Mohammad Khalid, age: 27 year, son of Mohammad Ismaeel, who is a supporter of MQM Lines Area, and arrested him. He was immediately subjected to severe torture.
6- The personnel of Malir Police Station raided the house of Waseem Ahmed Khan son of Qadeer Ahmed Khan, member of MQM Malir Sector Committee, and arrested him.
7- The personnel of Surjani and Khwaja Ajmer Nagri Police Stations raided the house of an MQM worker Rao Safdar Ali and arrested him.
8- The personnel of Police led by Chaudhry Aslam raided the house of an MQM worker Nazim Uddin son of Ehsan Uddin in Usmania Colony, Gulbahar, Karachi, and arrested him. The raiding party arrived in three police mobiles.
RAID AND ARRESTS IN THE CITY OF HYDERABAD:
Similar raids and arrests of MQM workers and supporters were also conducted in the city of Hyderabad. The details are:
31 October 1998
1- In the early hours of 31 October 1998, the personnel of SITE Police Station and other law enforcement agencies led by SHO Yaqub Butt raided the house of Khalid Nabi, member of MQM Sector ‘O’ of Hyderabad. In his absence they arrested his old father Shahid Nabi and two brothers Mujahid Nabi and Javed Nabi.
2- The personnel of Baldia Police Station led by SHO Allah Bukhsh Channa raided the house of Mahmood, in-charge of MQM Unit 6. In his absence they arrested his brother Inaam.
3- The CIA Police raided the house of an MQM worker Aziz Qureshi of Unit B and arrested him.
4- The personnel of Baldia Police Station raided the house of Mohammad Aslam, an MQM worker and arrested him along with his brother Mohammad Javed.
5- The house of an ex-councillor Mohammad Farooq was also raided by the personnel of Police and other law enforcement agencies. In his absence they misbehaved with the family members. The same party raided the house of an MQM worker Nadeem and in his absence arrested his brothers Mohammad Sajid and Mohammad Zahid.
6- The personnel of Police raided the houses of MQM workers Nadeem Wazeer and Qazi Abid. In their absence they harassed the family members and ransacked the houses.
Above mentioned are a few available reports of raids and arrests of MQM workers and their family members at the hands of the Police, CIA and other law enforcement agencies in Karachi and Hyderabad.
These raids and arrests have intensified after the MQM announced to part ways with the ruling Pakistan Muslims League (N) both at the federal and provincial level in protest over the custodial death of Fasih Ahmed, a worker of MQM, and brutal torture inflicted upon Dr. Asim Raza and Sheikh Amir Ullah to extract confessional statements from them to falsely implicate the MQM leaders in the murder case of Hakim Saeed. We are enclosing the report published in the Daily DAWN, the largest circulated English daily in Pakistan. The report is self explanatory and graphically accounts the torture and atrocities inflicted upon innocent Fasih Ahmed.
Since the General Elections in February 1997, more than 300 MQM workers and supporters have been ruthlessly and brutally murdered by the Intelligence Agencies of Pakistan and their sponsored terrorists, the ‘Haqiqi’.