MQM headquarters clash: Chairs thrown, aerial firing sparks panic in Karachi

KARACHI, August 2: At least two workers were injured after violence erupted between supporters of the Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Mustafa Kamal groups at the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarters in Bahadurabad on Sunday, ARY News reported.

According to details, a meeting chaired by the Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui group was underway at the party’s Bahadurabad headquarters to discuss Independence Day celebrations when members of the Mustafa Kamal group, led by Anees Qaimkhani, arrived to hold a separate meeting.

Sources said the situation turned violent after the headquarters’ administration tried to stop the second group from entering the premises. Both groups allegedly exchanged blows, while firing also took place outside the office.

The firing and violence left two party workers injured. One of the injured, identified as Asad, was shifted to hospital after being found wounded in a park adjacent to the Bahadurabad headquarters. He is said to be an MQM worker from Liaquatabad.

Sources further claimed that senior MQM leader Aminul Haque’s clothes were torn during the scuffle.

MQM MPA Ejazul Haq alleged that Anees Qaimkhani slapped him during the confrontation, saying he was the only lawmaker present in the room at the time. He also claimed that injured worker Zakir Hussain was assaulted by MPA Farhan Ansari and others, adding that some people allegedly shouted, “They belong to the London group, beat them.”

Meanwhile, MQM leader Mangla Sharma said she suffered a sprained foot during the pushing and shoving. She said she had arrived for a meeting of the minority community when people entered the room and started throwing chairs. According to Sharma, she and others were pushed out of the room, and the commotion continued even after they moved to a nearby park.

Police reached the scene and deployed additional personnel around the Bahadurabad headquarters, where tension remained high.

The allegations made by rival groups could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate official response from the MQM leadership.