KARACHI: The police on Tuesday registered an FIR against the leader and workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) for attacking an office of the Pak-Sarzameen Party (PSP) and killing its two workers and wounding four others, officials said.

They said the FIR [368/2018] was registered on a complaint of one of the injured PSP workers, Fahad, who accused workers of the MQM-L associated with its “South Africa and India set-up” of attacking the PSP office. The officials said that the case had been registered under sections 302 (punishment for premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

“The complainant has nominated Altaf Hussain, Nadeem Ahsan, Qasim Ali Raza, Faizan Yousuf and other workers of the MQM,” said an official at the Gulbahar police station. “The complainant in his request says that the workers of his party have been receiving death threats for the past few weeks and the leadership has also conveyed its concerns to the authorities. The police have already started investigation and sent the casings of spent bullets found at the crime scene for forensic examination.”

Two PSP were shot dead in the armed attack on the party’s office in Rizvia Society on Sunday night. The police said that around a dozen gunmen riding six motorcycles opened fire on the PSP town office in Usmania Colony and fled. The killed workers — Azhar Rehmat, 35, and Naeem Ramzan, 40 — were associated with the party’s organisational structure in Nazimabad.

Mustafa Kamal’s allegation

The PSP chairman has already blamed the MQM-L for killing his workers and said that the forces rejected by the people were targeting the city peace only to trigger fear and panic in Karachiites to exploit it in the name of ethnicity.

“Our workers died for the cause of peace and their blood will not go in vain,” he said. “We are the real force that has been safeguarding the city peace and if the PSP fails, political violence would return to the city because the MQM-L is still using the youth for terrorism.”

He said his party was working to promote patriotism and he hoped that the killers of his party workers would soon be arrested to avoid disappointing the people risking their lives to strengthen the country politically.

IGP visits cathedral

Meanwhile, Sindh police chief Dr Sayed Kaleem Imam with senior police officials paid a visit to the St Patrick’s Cathedral in Saddar and offered Christmas greetings to Bishop Joseph and other people of the Christian community, said a statement.

“Sindh IG Dr Imam also reviewed security arrangements,” it said. “He also vowed to provide best possible security to all minorities mainly on their religious events. Joseph and other leaders of the Christian community paid thanks to the Sindh IG for his cooperation and visit to the church.”

Published in Dawn, December 26th, 2018