11 Arrested in Karachi for Supporting MQM Founder Altaf Hussain

Eleven individuals were arrested in Karachi after allegedly participating in a rally expressing support for Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain. The arrests, which emerged on Friday, took place on Arif Jiyeja Street.

A First Information Report (FIR) was registered on Thursday under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the FIR, police constable Deedar Ali observed a group chanting slogans in favour of Hussain and displaying flags with "jiye Altaf" and "48th foundation day APMSO" written on them. The constable stated these slogans were causing "tensions and hostility" and inciting political parties in the area.

Police mobiles and personnel were subsequently called to the scene, surrounding the demonstrators before arresting the 11 individuals.

In response, the MQM issued a statement claiming its workers were arrested during a "raid at an office" located on I.I. Chundrigar Road. The party asserted that this office had "no link to MQM or its activities" and demanded the release of those arrested.

Altaf Hussain's political career began during his student years at the University of Karachi (KU), where he co-founded the All-Pakistan Mohajir Students Organisation (APMSO) with Azeem Ahmed Tariq. The MQM, under Hussain's leadership, has faced accusations of employing violent tactics to gain and maintain political power. Hussain, conversely, has consistently maintained that the state and other political parties have targeted MQM and its workers since the party's formation.

A significant turning point for the MQM occurred after an August 2016 speech by Hussain, in which he reportedly raised slogans against Pakistan and referred to the country as "a cancer for the entire world." Following this speech, MQM workers allegedly attacked the ARY News office in Karachi. Authorities launched a crackdown, leading to the sealing of MQM's Karachi headquarters and Hussain's residence in Azizabad. Subsequently, MQM leaders in Pakistan publicly distanced themselves from Hussain and removed his name from the party's constitution.

According to Dawn Pakistan, all information presented is from the original report.