The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) has moved the Sindh High Court for unsealing the party’s headquarters in Karachi’s Azizabad neighbourhood. Dubbed Nine-Zero, the HQ was sealed by the Rangers after MQM founder Altaf Hussain’s infamous anti-state speech last year. MQM-L deputy convenor Dr Hasan Zafar said in the petition on Thursday the MQM was a secular, democratic and progressive party that sought to represent the aspirations of oppressed nationalists and was the fourth largest party of the country. Zafar said the paramilitary force had occupied and sealed Altaf’s personal residence following his anti-state speech on August 22, 2016. He claimed that “hidden hands” had reduced the MQM to MQM-L by splitting it up and now the London faction had only one property for managing the party’s affairs. He told the court that the MQM-L was serving humanity through its Khidmat-e-Khalq Foundation charity, which was also being managed and medical facilities were being provided to poor families through the Khursheed Begum Hall at Nine-Zero. The petitioner submitted that several allegations had been levelled against him and his party, with none of them being proved in a court of law. He lamented that after sealing Nine-Zero, Rangers had been deployed there to stop the party from using the premises. He claimed that Nine-Zero was sealed to bring down the MQM and keep it out of the next general elections. He said the HQ was sealed without adopting the due process of law, stressing that there were quite clear mandatory legal provisions for taking such an action. He lamented that Sindh Rangers Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Saeed was also requested to unseal the premises and hand it over to the rightful owner but to no avail. Citing the Rangers chief, the home department and others as respondents, the court was requested to unseal Nine-Zero, the Khursheed Begum Hall, the party’s media cell, the MPA hostel and other relevant offices. The petitioner also asked the high court to restrain the respondents from taking any kind of punitive action against him by lodging false criminal cases. He said that if the respondents were inclined to do so, they should adopt the due process of law.
