Police on Monday said cases would be filed against MQM activists under terrorism clauses. Police claimed to have arrested at least 15 MQM workers involved in acts of violence. Police and Rangers also uprooted the MQM hunger strikers camp outside the Karachi Press Club. Meantime, commercial establishments situated in the neighbourhood abandoned business activities.
The law enforcers reached the scene of violence quite late to subdue the miscreants with tear gas shelling and gunfire in air. Much before the law enforcers took control of the situation, the MQM workers had already burnt motorbikes and a police van, injuring cameraman of Samaa TV channel, policeman and citizens, besides attacking the Neo TV and ARY channels.
Violence led to immediate closure of shops at Zainab Market and surrounding areas. It also led to cause worst traffic jams on main I.I. Chundrigar Raod, adjacent thoroughfares, Shahrae Faisal, Abddullah Haroon Road, Sarwar Shaheed Road and nearby areas.
Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah and DG Rangers, Bilal Akbar visited the media houses with a resolve to hunt down the attackers for carrying out assaults on TV channels. "Cases will be filed against the attackers and law will be followed," Murad told media persons.
DSP Saddar Anwar Asif said that attack on the media houses came minutes after MQM's self-exiled chief Altaf Hussain made a highly provocative telephonic address to the workers at party's hunger strike camp. CCTV footage released by some local media channels show that some masked men wielding wooden sticks barging into the TV office and ransacking the whole interior of the office and harassing its employees. The footage also shows a man trying to snatch gun from a security guard at the main entrance of the office.
The party had been staging a hunger strike for the last six days against what it terms injustices, extrajudicial killings and arrests of its workers and political victimisation. However, the party's camp was removed by the law enforcers after an attack on media house.
The DG Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar said that paramilitary troops will take strict action against those taking law into their hands. The DG Rangers urged traders to keep their businesses open and vowed protection to them. A police party was pelted with stones by miscreants leaving SHO Saddar Peer Shabbir Hyder critically injured. He was rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPCM) for treatment.
IG Sindh A.D Khawaja also directed the DIG south to restore law and order situation on the spot, and take strict action against miscreants. He also issued directions to intensify police patrol across the city, besides providing improved security to all media houses. The deceased was identified as Ayyub. The body of victim was moved to JPMC for post-mortem. While Qamar Zaman, Noman son of Naeem, Aslam son of Ghulam Ali, Saad son of Asghar, and Sultan son of Jalil were among the injured.
