MQM’s two-day hunger strike at KPC starts today

Karachi

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) will stage a token hunger strike on Thursday (today) and Friday from 1pm to 7pm at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) against "illegal arrests of MQM workers", said an MQM statement issued on Wednesday.

As per the statement, members of the MQM coordination committee took the decision in view of the fake cases registered against their leaders and workers.

According to the statement, MQM's top leadership, including senior deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar, Kunwar Naveed Jameel, Amir Khan and Sindh Assembly opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hasan, will show up the hunger strike along with other party workers. The party leadership has also declared the arrests of Karachi’s mayor-elect Waseem Akhtar and MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui illegal and unconstitutional.

The schedule for election of mayor and deputy mayor has been announced and the nomination papers will be submitted today at the civic centre. Sami Siddiqi, former municipal commissioner of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), has been appointed as the returning officer.

As per the statement, the MQM is also demanding judicial inquiry for “extra judicial killings” and recovery of the missing persons.

“Family members of the party martyrs and missing persons will also participate in the hunger strike.”