MQM-Pakistan's Farooq Sattar released after brief arrest in Karachi

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) chief Farooq Sattar was released after brief detention in Karachi on Friday night, ARY News reported.

According to ARY News correspondent Rafay Hussain, Farooq Sattar was taken into custody from Shahrah-e-Faisal and moved to Chakiwara police station where he was questioned for a brief period of time.

Police sources say that the MQM-P chief was arrested on court orders in a case pertaining to listening and facilitating anti-Pakistan speech made by Altaf Hussain outside press club on August 22. The case was registered in Artillery Maidan police station.

Soon after Sattar’s arrest, a police contingent reached MQM-Pakistan’s temporary office in PIB to avoid any untoward incident after the party chief’s arrest.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s spokesperson, however, said that Farooq Sattar was not arrested by police and he did not allow the police to arrest him by fleeing from the place.

In an apparent reply to Sindh CM’s spokesperson, MQM-P leader Faisal Sabzwari said that his party’s leaders are not absconders and reserve the right to protest.

MQM-Pakistan’s on-paper chief Farooq Sattar became the party’s de-facto chairman after founder Altaf Hussain’s August 22 speech in which Hussain urged people to raise anti-Pakistan slogans and attack media offices, which resulted in an attack on ARY News’ Saddar office.

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Sattar and MQM’s lawmakers dissociated themselves from the party founder on August 23 and Sattar has been leading the party since then.

It is pertinent to note here that MQM-Pakistan has announced celebrating party’s foundation day on March 18, Saturday.