Saeed Ghani defends police action against MQM-P protestors

KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani has demanded the police baton-charge and use of tear gas shells to disperse the protestors of Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) from outside the Chief Minister (CM) House, ARY News reported on Thursday.

While talking to ARY News, Saeed Ghani said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has never supported action against peaceful protest. He said that MQM-P has suddenly changed the route of its protest rally and stormed CM House.

He said that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) is also holding a sit-in outside the Sindh Assembly but no action was taken.

The provincial minister said that MQM-P leaders have been told to end protests outside CM House and divert their workers back to the actual venue of the protest at Karachi Press Club (KPC).

“Taking action [against MQM-P protestors] was a compulsion and I apologise if someone gets injured [in the police action]. Players are currently residing in the adjacent hotels to the CM House for Pakistan Super League (PSL).”

“We have asked MQM to continue their protest at KPC. Nothing would have happened if MQM-P accepts to go back to the press club. If MQM is a peaceful political party, then it should have exhibited their responsibility.”

Earlier, police baton-charged Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) workers and fired tear gas to disperse the protesting activists outside the Chief Minister (CM) House in Karachi.

The MQM-P workers including women and children have been baton-charged by police officials in a sudden move to disperse the protestors outside the CM House.

A female worker’s condition was deteriorated due to heavy firing at the protestors of tear gas shells by police. It was learnt that 10 MQM-P workers were detained by the policemen from the protest venue.

A MQM-P Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Sadaqat Hussain was also arrested in injured condition.

MQM-P workers removed all barricades to enter Red Zone and held a sit-in at the central gate of CM House in Karachi to protest against the controversial Sindh local government (LG) law.

The MQM-P rally against Sindh LG law has been converted into a sit-in in Karachi after the workers entered Red Zone removing all barricades placed by the law enforcement agencies.