KARACHI: Despite roadblocks and a heavy deployment of law enforcement agencies, a large number of workers and supporters, including women, of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London reached the Azizabad area on Saturday to visit and pay respects at Yadgar-i-Shuhada — a monument built in memory of MQM activists killed over the years — only to be baton-charged and taken into custody by law enforcers.
The MQM has been observing Dec 9 as Yaum-i-Shuhada to commemorate the killings of its supporters in Karachi, Hyderabad and other cities over the years. The day was chosen since a brother of party supremo Altaf Hussain and one of his nephews were killed in Karachi 22 years ago.
Since Friday night, a heavy deployment of police and Rangers was made in areas leading to the Jinnah Ground, where the monument is built, close to the party’s sealed Nine Zero headquarters, to stop MQM-L workers and supporters from gathering there on the call of Altaf Hussain.
On Saturday morning, police blocked the double-track main road from Ayesha Manzil to the Comprehensive School roundabout as well as adjacent roads leading to Jinnah Ground by parking buses and water tankers.
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