KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani on Thursday rubbished Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan’s (MQM-P) claim that its party worker died due to police violence, saying that the actual cause of death “seems to be a heart attack”.
“The impression being created was that an individual was killed due to violence, however, no reports of an injured dying at a government hospital have come to light,” the provincial minister said while addressing a press conference in Karachi.
Several MQM-P workers, including women, were injured when police fired tear gas and resorted to baton-charge on their sit-in outside Chief Minister House on Wednesday evening.
Three persons, including MQM-P MPA Sadaqat Husain and a policeman, were brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment. The MQM-P had claimed that Aslam died during treatment at the hospital.
Very sorry to hear about this loss. May Allah Taa’ala bless his soul. However i have checked with JPMC, neither any person named Aslam Bhai was brought to JPMC nor any such death has been reported at JPMC. MQM MPA Sadaqat & Tariq were brought to JPMC & discharged after treatment https://t.co/CRPQFnzFww
— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) January 26, 2022
“From the available information and the, it seems Aslam died due to a heart attack and not violence. He was taken to Karachi Institute of Heart Disease and then he was brought here to National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases,” Ghani added.
Ghani said further investigation found that Aslam had arrived at KIHD at 8:30pm, where he was treated and subsequently referred to NICVD. Aslam was brought to NICVD at 10:30pm, by which time he had already passed away, the minister added.
“We are sad that a person died due to any reason, be it illness or any reason, but there is no evidence according to the information that we have till now that he died due to violence,” the PPP official said.
Ghani further stated that the police responded – despite not wanting to – because of the international cricket players. “Dangerous consequences could occur if action was not taken,” he said, adding that there were security threats in different cities including Karachi.
“The country is at risk of terrorist attacks, any unpleasant incident could have happened,” he said, adding that it was mandatory for all to respect women, but it was the MQM-P who put their women party workers at the forefront, which is why they were injured in the stampede.
He also criticised the response from federal ministers over the incident, claiming the steps taken by the administration were to “protect Pakistan’s name and better Pakistan’s image in the world” so the PSL could continue.
