KARACHI: Police have registered a criminal case over Sunday night’s violent clash at the MQM-Pakistan headquarters in Bahadurabad, invoking a heavy set of charges that includes terrorism and attempted murder alongside aerial firing and rioting — a legal escalation that signals authorities are treating the incident as more than an internal party scuffle.
The case, it may be recalled here, stems from Sunday evening’s confrontation at MQM-P’s Bahadurabad headquarters, where workers aligned with rival factions within the party — one associated with Chairman Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and senior leaders including Dr. Farooq Sattar and Aminul Haque, the other linked to Mustafa Kamal and Anees Qaimkhani — clashed during what was reportedly a meeting tied to Independence Day preparations.
The confrontation escalated from a scuffle into stone-throwing, thrown furniture, and aerial firing, sending panic through the surrounding area before police and Rangers brought the situation under control.
The party’s central headquarters was subsequently shut down, and senior leaders including Siddiqui and Sattar issued public statements on Monday describing the episode as unfortunate while stopping short of naming which factions were responsible.
That reluctance to formally assign blame appears to be reflected in the FIR itself.
What the FIR Says
According to the first information report, no specific party faction or group has been named as responsible for the clash, and the real reason behind the confrontation has still not been officially disclosed.
The FIR does, however, name two individuals — identified as Azhar, alias Lamba, and Zeeshan Habib — as having been present among a crowd of roughly 20 to 25 people who allegedly engaged in sustained aerial firing and fighting during the incident.
The document lists three injured persons: a man named Aamir, who was hurt by gunfire during the exchange, and two others, Asad and Kashar, who sustained injuries during the physical fighting and rioting that accompanied it.
Beyond the core charges of terrorism and attempted murder, police have added aerial firing and rioting to the case — a combination that carries significantly more legal weight than a standard scuffle-related complaint, and one that could expose those eventually charged to lengthy prison terms if convicted.
Section 144
Police officials have pointed out that the Sindh provincial government already has Section 144 in place across the province, barring the public display of weapons and prohibiting rioting and unlawful assembly.
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Officials said strict legal action would be taken against anyone found involved in Sunday’s incident, in line with that existing order.
With no group or individual formally blamed for orchestrating the clash, and the underlying trigger still undisclosed, the case now places the burden on investigators to determine what — and who — set off a confrontation that party leadership has publicly sought to downplay as a misunderstanding.
