US condemns attacks on media in Karachi

WASHINGTON: Spokesperson for the US State Department Mark Toner on Wednesday said that the US was aware of the recent attack on media houses in Karachi.

In a press briefing, Mark Toner said that the US was also aware of reports of detention of several MQM workers by Pakistani law enforcement agencies and sealing of the party’s headquarters in Nine Zero.

Talking about Pakistan-India relations, he said that the US encouraged and appreciated negotiations between both nuclear armed states. He urged the two nations to work with patience for strategic stability of the region.

Mark Toner said that India has to respond to Pakistan's suggestion of signing the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). He said that the only practical way forward was for both the countries to sign the treaty.

Expressing concern over the violence in Karachi earlier this week, the spokesperson further said that criticism should be encouraged, rather than silenced, in a democratic society. He said that criticism and freedom of expression strengthen democracies and everyone has a right to protest; however, protests of any kind should be carried out peacefully.

Mark Toner also said that arrest of workers belonging to any political party was a worrying sign and added that the US was gathering more information on the situation.

On Monday, MQM chief Altaf Hussain’s speech to participants in a hunger strike organized by MQM incited party workers to take to the streets yesterday, ransack media houses and vandalize property. At least one person died and eight others were injured during the violent attacks in which around 2,000 party workers participated.