KARACHI: Rangers personnel arrested Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) Rabita Committee (Coordination Committee) Deputy Convener Shahid Pasha in a raid early on Monday.
MQM spokesperson Wasay Jalil confirmed that Pasha was taken by Rangers into custody during a raid at his apartment in the Gulistan-i-Jauhar. The arrest was condemned by MQM’s leadership. Pasha was presented in an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) where the administrative judge was informed regarding his preventive detention for three months. The court also ordered the formation of a joint investigation team to probe the charges against the MQM leader. Pasha was made deputy convener of the coordination committee a year ago, and is believed to be an important figure in MQM’s organisational structure and has held various posts with the political party.
The arrest comes after MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar, in an earlier press conference, had accused the Rangers of torturing and interrogating “40 under-trial prisoners” belonging to the MQM imprisoned at Karachi Central Jail, and “pressuring the workers to leave the party”. He alleged that the workers were being forced to fill out a pro forma and told that they would be allotted every facility in prison, cases against them would be withdrawn and they would be released only if they changed their loyalty. MQM lawmakers staged a walkout from Sindh Assembly in protest against Pasha’s arrest.Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to DG Rangers Maj Gen Bilal Akbar, Inspector General of police Sindh A . Khawaja and Sindh home secretary seeking their comments on a petition filed by the family of Shahid Pasha.
