Premier summons reports from interior ministry and Sindh IG, chief secretary; assures MQM-P 'necessary action' will be taken
ISLAMABAD: Following an incident of police brutality in Karachi, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday took notice of the violence used by the Sindh police against MQM-P leaders and workers.
"I have taken note of the violence used by Sindh police against MQM's peaceful protest against Sindh's LG law, [and] have called for a report from Interior Ministry, Sindh CS [and] Sindh IG," he wrote on Twitter.
Assuring the party leadership of action against the violence, the premier further said: "Will take necessary action against those responsible after receiving these reports."
One person lost his life, while several members of the MQM-P, including women, were left injured after Karachi police baton-charged and tear-gassed them during a protest at the city's Shahrah-e-Faisal on Wednesday.
Earlier, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail also shared a video statement, condemning the “police brutality,” adding that local government should resolve the issue with mutual understanding and dialogue.
Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab revealed that CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah has ordered an inquiry into the “unfortunate incident of yesterday.”
Sharing a screengrab of the official notification issued by the CM Secretariat, Wahab wrote on Twitter: “CM Sindh […] has asked secretary home to submit a report in three days.”
He further added that comprehensive terms of reference (TOR) have been formulated in order to “fix responsibility.”
The incident
MQM-P workers and leaders had gathered in large numbers during the afternoon hours of Wednesday to stage a protest against the controversial local government bill.
Later on, the protesters attempted to reach the Chief Minister's House for a sit-in. As a result, the flow of traffic was severely affected on the road considered to be the city's main artery.
The police, however, baton-charged the crowd and used teargas shells in an attempt to dissuade it from entering the red zone.
MQM-P representatives said several women and children participating in the protests sustained injuries, while the police arrested several MQM-P leaders and activists.
Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Sadaqat Hussain was also injured because of the baton charge. Contingents of south police were deployed at the site of the protest to disperse the demonstrators.
According to the traffic police, the Shahrah-e-Faisal road started to become choked as protesters continued to advance forwards, therefore, they said they had "no choice but to use force and fire teargas shells."
The protesters, however, insisted that they were "staging their protest peacefully, but the police went ahead and used force to disperse them."