Sindh cities shut on strike call by MQM

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Countrys financial hub Karachi wore a deserted look till afternoon when MQM chief Altaf Hussain called for terminating the closure after funeral prayers for Sohail Ahmed were offered.

Islamabad: Life in parts of Sindh came to a standstill on Thursday after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) announced a ‘peaceful shutter-down strike’ and a day of mourning to protest against the alleged ‘extrajudicial’ killing of its 36 workers including Sohail Ahmed whose body was recently found.

Leaders and party workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement attend the funeral of senior party worker Sohail Ahmed in Karachi on Thursday. — AFP

Markets business centres petrol pumps educational institutions and public transport remained shut completely and partially in major cities including Karachi Hyderabad Khairpur Sukkur Jamshoro and other towns and cities. Country’s financial hub Karachi wore a deserted look till afternoon when MQM chief Altaf Hussain called for terminating the closure after funeral prayers for Sohail Ahmed were offered.

Sohail was in-charge of Society Sector Unit 64 and his body was found in Mawach Goth on Wednesday.

Condemning the killings Altaf said he holds Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah responsible for the murder of 36 MQM activists on different occasions while in police custody.

He regretted that police operation in Karachi has actually turned into target killings of MQM activists.

“The chief minister or any of his cabinet member did not bother even to condole the deaths he said and thanked traders transporters and other segments of society for peacefully observing the strike.

The Additional Inspector General Sindh police has in the meanwhile said that the suspect arrested for involvement in the murder of Karachi University’s dean of Islamic Studies has claimed he belongs to a well-known political party. “He has said he belongs to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) but we have no confirmation on this as yet because no party has claimed him as yet” Additional IG Ghulam Qadir Thebo said while addressing the media in Karachi.

On September 18 Professor Dr Mohammed Shakil Auj the outspoken dean of the Islamic Studies Faculty at the University of Karachi was shot dead when he was on the way to attend a ceremony that was being organised in his honour at the Khana-e-Farhang Iran (Iranian Cultural Centre). Thebo added the accused confessed of killing three people belonging to a political party in 1993 as well as Rangers personnel.

Further he said incidents of target killing have been reduced after police operations in Karachi.

“We are making meaningful efforts to eliminate target killing” the additional IG asserted.

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