MQM urges judiciary to take notice of Rangers statement

Karachi
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Coordination Committee on Sunday called for the Chief Justices of Pakistan and Sindh High Court to bring into notice the statement issued by the Sindh Rangers, over what it stated was an admission by the paramilitary force of arresting party workers only on the pretext of being associated with the party.
While members of banned terrorist outfits roamed the city streets freely without any fear of arrests it was only members of the MQM which the Rangers’ personnel continued to target, the committee observed.
An unannounced ban had been imposed on the MQM and it was forcibly being stopped from continuing its political and social activities, the CC members further stated.
Rejecting the existence of a Tanzeemi Committee which the Rangers claimed used to organise the party’s militant wing, the members observed that the claim itself exposed the level of intelligence the force possessed.
Terming the statement misleading, they added that it was rather a confession which proved that the operation was only being conducted against MQM and not other parties.
The committee members added that there was surely no doubt left that the Karachi operation was not initiated to eliminate criminal elements but only to crush the MQM.
Asserting their innocence, they maintained that all members of the party were law abiding citizens and it was a peaceful political party which had time and again proved that there was no space for criminal elements in its rank and file.
They claimed that the Rangers under the guise of a crackdown on criminals, was targeting MQM with the support of the state.
They added that hundreds of MQM workers had been arrested and were being meted out the worst kinds of torture in jails; they were being denied of their basic rights and were being presented at courts like prisoners of war.
Referring to the remarks of the Supreme Court which stated that all religious and political parties had militant wings, the members strongly condemned a lack of action by the Rangers on those groups.
Further denouncing the claim that all arrested workers had been presented before the court the committee maintained that whereabouts of over 50 MQM workers, arrested several months ago, were still unknown.
Responding to the claim that several office bearers had turned themselves in voluntarily, the CC members stated whether it was the workers who were torturing themselves in their cells and also presenting themselves before the court in such inhumane conditions. They demanded to know that under which section of the law or clause of the constitution was it a crime to join the MQM.