MQM-P demands investigation into killing of three workers, decries ethnic discrimination

KARACHI: After the bodies of its three workers were recovered from various cities in Sindh, the MQM-P on Wednesday demanded an investigation into the incidents.

"Bodies of three MQM workers have been found in the last two days," said  Minister for Maritime Affairs and MQM-P leader  Syed Faisal Subzwari.

The minister, while addressing a press conference, said that the bodies of its three workers — Irfan Basarat, Abid Abbasi, and Waseem Raju — have been recovered from Sanghar, Nawabshah, and Mirpurkhas, respectively.

He alleged that the said workers were “arrested” and then “made to disappear”.

Subzwari further stated that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) recovered a missing person named Haseeb Hamza, who was lifted from the court’s jurisdiction on August 22 by unknown people in uniform. Hamza was recovered on Chief Justice IHC Athar Minallah’s orders.

“Would any chief justice take notice for our Haseeb?” the minister said, adding that the discovery of the three bodies raises a question about the federal and provincial governments’ credibility.

He said that bodies of only those who "speak Urdu" are being found.

“I am a member of the federal cabinet’s select committee for missing persons,” the minister said.

“What are we going to say to the families of these workers,” he lamented, questioning if Pakistan’s Constitution “goes silent” when an MQM worker’s issue arises.

Subzwari highlighted that this is not a new trend and has been going on since 1992.

“Whether I am in the government or not, this trend continues,” the minister shared.

“It has been said that MQM’s workers have been killed and buried in Margalla Hills,” he remarked.

“We also heard that most were not missing, some went to South Africa and others elsewhere,” Subzwari revealed.

Subzwari demanded if those who are missing are criminals, they should be brought forward.

Govt to investigate incident

After the discovery of the workers' bodies, the federal government said it will investigate the incident.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Minister for Economic Affairs Ayaz Sadiq held a meeting with MQM leaders assuring the party that the government will "look into the matter".

The interior minister condemned the incident, adding that the federal government, along with Sindh's provincial government, will bring those responsible to justice.

HRCP's expresses alarm 

Taking to Twitter, the  Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also expressed alarm over the discovery of the three dead bodies and condemned the state's failure to protect their right to life and due process.

"The failure of the state to protect their right to life and to due process must be strongly condemned. Any disappearances and extrajudicial killings anywhere in Pakistan must cease immediately and the perpetrators brought to book," the rights body wrote in its tweet.