KARACHI - After getting assurance from the Sindh government, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on Sunday announced to end its sit-in staged outside the Karachi Press Club, demanding recovery of its missing and detained workers.
According to details, the MQM along with the families of the missing and detained party workers had staged a sit-in outside the KPC.
MQM Deputy Convener Kanwar Naveed Jameel earlier informed the media men that the sit-in will continue on Sunday but later the party decision making body-MQM coordination committee announced to shift the protest in front of the Chief Minister House, the area that has been declared Red-Zone.
Talking to The Nation, MQM Deputy convener Kanwar Naveed Jameel said that party along with families of the missing and detained workers stage sit-in outside the KPC but it is regrettable that none representatives of the provincial government visited the sit-in camp to listen to concerns of the missing workers families. This attitude of the provincial rulers forced the party to move the sit-in in front of the CM House, thinking that it could awake them. He said that about 67 workers has been missing so far and “we want the rulers to listen to the concerns of the victim families. He said that the LEAs had stopped the party workers from heading towards the CM House and “we are staging sit-in on the road moving towards the CM House.”
Police stopped the MQM leaders and workers from heading to Chief Minister House. MQM leader Aminul Haq demanded the Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to hold negotiations with them over the matter of "missing persons".
"We also staged a sit-in over the issue of missing persons in the past and I hope our demands would be met," he said.
Later, MQM Ameenul Haq, Muhammad Hussain, MNA Raza Ali Abidi and other were called to hold meeting inside the CM House. Following the meeting, the sit-in was ended.
Earlier on Sunday, the MQM coordination committee senior leaders, conveners, deputy conveners, members of the committee, elected local representative and families of the party workers participated in the protest outside the KPC. Addressing the media men on the occasion, MQM senior deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar said that about 67 party workers were missing while some elements in the LEAs were using their powers to violate human rights.
“If miscreants are present in the MQM ranks, they should be nabbed and presented before the court,” said Sattar and demanded the government to release the party workers who were allegedly picked up by the LEAs.
Mentioning the recent arrest of party’s deputy convener Shahid Pasha, Malir organiser Nazir Raza, Mirpurkhass zonal member Farooq Jameel Durani, Karachi University Mphil student Danish Waheed, the MQM leader said these actions confirmed the enmity against the party.
Referring to the Rangers statement, he said that some elements in the security forces have projected his statement in a wrong way about movement of the MQM workers to India. Sattar demanded COAS General Raheel Sharif to take notice of the issue.
The party has moved the courts regarding the missing workers, and once again list of the missing workers is being sent to PM Nawaz Sharif, COAS Raheel Sharif, ISI Chief Rizwan Akhtar, the Interior Federal Minister, Sindh CM, DG Rangers Sindh and others.
Separately, Pakistan People’s Party MNAs Shah Jehan Baloch and Shahida Rehmani have severely criticised the Karachi Electric over loadshedding for prolonged hours amid intense heatwave in Karachi.
The KE is responsible for more than 1200 civilian casualties during heatstroke during past summer and the national electric power regulatory authority had in its report submitted in the Sindh High Court admitted that the KE is responsible and hence a fine of Rs10 million was imposed.
In a statement issued from the PPP Media Cell Sindh, they said despite the fact that the Nepra held the KE as responsible for more than 1200 civilian casualties and the report was submitted in the SHC, still the KE has no fear and it seemed as if the company has been issued a licence to kill and loot the consumers on the pattern of Baddoos.
The PPP MNAs said on the other hand, the state seems to be quite weaker to control the KE. The citizens are just in asking whether the cost of lives of 1200 civilians is just Rs10 million and until when the state would keep eyes shut from the loot of the KE.
They said the citizens also ask the judiciary as why it has failed to do justice to the aggrieved families of those 1200 civilians whose death was at the hands of the KE and why appropriate action is delayed despite the fact that the Nepra’s report is in the SHC and eye-opening.
They said that the meteorology department had already issued warning for high temperature in Karachi on three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday with temperature at 38 to 40 Celsius but still the KE does not follow the precautionary steps for uninterrupted supply of electricity so as to help the consumers escape the deadly heatstroke inside congested homes.
The PPP MNAs appealed to the media to do not compromise over lives of the civilians on the basis of petty commercials from the KE but should expose the company for its anti-masses and anti-state activities and plans.
They also appealed to the Chief Justices of the SHC and Supreme Court to take notice of KE’s atrocities on the helpless consumers and do the justice to the people of the city.