Two MQM-L men held for PSP workers’ killings

The Sindh Rangers announced on Wednesday that they had arrested two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) London faction who were associated with the party’s South African target killing network and responsible for murdering two Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) workers.

Briefing the media at the headquarters of the paramilitary force, Col Qaiser Khattak said Abdul Majeed, alias Nadeem Maulana, and Arshad, alias Laal Khan, were gunned down on July 17 outside their residence near the Sindh Government Qatar Hospital in Sector-7C of Orangi Town.

He said the attack was led by two target killers who were backed up by other accomplices, adding that the Rangers then formed a special team, which used technical assistance and other means to arrest both the men.

Qaiser said the detained suspects were identified as Mohammad Raheem and Mohammad Danish, adding that the former was the shooter and the latter was steering the motorcycle. He said both the accused were affiliated with the MQM’s London faction, adding that bystanders who had witnessed the attack had also identified the suspects.

The Rangers official said the accused had disclosed during their interrogation that they were tasked to carry out the attack by their party’s South African network around a month ago. They identified their taskmasters as Qamarul Islam, with the aliases of Qamar Tedi and Waseem Bhai, and a stranger with the assumed name of Abdullah, added the official.

Col Qaiser said that both the accused were in regular contact with the MQM-London’s South African network via WhatsApp and had been receiving messages from the party leadership via the service, adding that the relevant records were retrieved from their smartphones.

He said the first communication was received on July 19 from Abdullah, who sent them a voice message from their party leader congratulating them, following which another congratulatory message was sent from the party’s South African network. The next day Danish went to the Habib Metropolitan Bank and withdrew Rs50,000 rewarded by the party leadership, he added.

The Rangers official said the accused admitted to killing people on the instructions received from the MQM-London leadership and maintaining regular contact with their associates via social media, through which they also disseminated hate material against Pakistan and its armed forces.

The suspects also confessed that they were involved in wall-chalking in favour of their party leader in different localities of Karachi, added the paramilitary official.

He said the accused disclosed the names of their other associates who were in contact with Nadeem Nusrat, Abdul Rasheed, alias Babu Bihari, Qamarul Islam, “Abdullah” and MQM-L chief Altaf Hussain, adding that they were planning to target local leaders and activists of political parties.

Col Qaiser said the paramilitary force was making efforts to arrest the people identified by the two suspects. “Through the media I would like to convey this message of the Sindh Rangers to the miscreants based in South Africa and London: gone are the days when orders from abroad caused killing sprees here.”

He said the metropolis used to be shut down merely on a phone call, but the people of Karachi as well as Pakistanis living abroad had rejected such practices.

“The proof of this is the eyewitness accounts provided by pedestrians, on whose basis the July 17 murder case was solved. The Sindh Rangers have been keeping a vigilant eye, and any and all conspiracies will be dealt with on a stern basis.”

He added: “I would like to convey a message to the youth of Karachi that they desist from killing Pakistanis or committing heinous crimes while colluding with such anti-state elements residing in London or South Africa. By doing so you will not only harm innocent Pakistanis but will also meet a tragic end.”