MQM announces nationwide mourning day for Sunday

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Saturday announced to observe a countrywide day of peaceful mourning on Sunday in the wake of what it calls murder of its activist in police custody in Karachi.

MQM chief Altaf Hussain has also ratified the decision of the party’s Rabitta Committee which has appealed to the transporters and businessmen of Sindh province to keep their activities suspended for a day to mark protest against oppression.

It said protests will be staged across Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.

Earlier, addressing a press conference MQM leader Haider Abbas Rizvi claimed that his party activist Faraz Alam was brutally tortured before being killed in police custody.

Rizvi accused the police of making a windfall in the name of ongoing targeted crackdown against criminals.

He claimed that MQM activist Faraz Alam was booked in a fabricated case and latter brutally tortured in police custody.

The MQM leader accused the Korangi Industrial Area Station House Officer (SHO) of demanding bribe in exchange for freeing Faraz, adding the deceased was later taken to various hospitals for examination and all the medical reports suggested that he was tortured.

He said the body of Faraz bore visible torture marks and demanded of the Karachi Police Chief to monitor the ‘criminal activities’ of Karachi police.

“The police seems to have been running a business in the name of Karachi targeted operation”, Rizvi said.

The MQM leader said the inquiry police committee to launch a probe against their colleagues was not acceptable to his party.

Earlier, the Additional Inspector General (AIG) Karachi had formed a police committee to probe the custodial death of an accused in the Khokhrapar police station.