AVAILABLE REPORTS OF RAIDS AND ARRESTS OF MQM WORKERS

3 December 1998

1. At around 4 a.m., heavy contingent of Bufferzone Police Station raided the temporary residence of Mohammad Naeem Sheikh son of Mohammad Yameen and arrested him. Naeem Sheikh is an active MQM worker of Burns Road Sector and since the commencement of the MQM crush operation by the Nawaz Sharif Government he had left his house and was living with his uncle in Bufferzone, Karachi. The raiding party ransacked the house, looted the valuables, physically manhandled the members of the family and detained everyone present in the house at the Bufferzone Police Station. The house has been sealed by the Administration and the family is left destitute with no place to stay. It is to be noted that Saleem Sheikh, the elder brother of Naeem Sheikh, is already in the Police custody. Naeem Sheikh is suffering from acute kidney pain, therefore, it is strongly feared that his life is in danger and he might be tortured to death while in Police custody.
2. At around 4 a.m., heavy contingent of Mominabad Police Station and CIA Police jointly raided the residence of Javed Ansari son of Ali Ansari in Al-Mustafa Colony, Orangi Town, Karachi. They entered into the house by breaking the front door. They had cordoned the entire house so that no one could escape. The raiding party did not even allowed the women to properly cover themselves (as they were sleeping) and started interrogating about the whereabouts of Javed Ansari. Later, they arrested three young brothers and a 12 year old cousin of Javed and took them to the CIA Centre in Saddar, Karachi, where they are being subjected to most brutal torture to divulge the whereabouts of Javed Ansari. Javed Ansari is an active worker and former officer bearer of MQM Unit 124, Sector Orangi Town.
3. The same raiding party then raided the residence of Nadeem, another worker of MQM Unit 124, Sector Orangi Town. In his absence they ransacked his house and threatened the family members of dire consequences or divulge the whereabouts of Nadeem. Another house of Maqsood, an MQM worker of the same unit, was raided and his family members threatened.
4. At around 2 a.m., the personnel of Orangi Police Station raided the house of Naseer Manzar, an MQM supporter of MQM Unit 123, and arrested him.
5. The personnel of Mominabad Police Station raided the residence of Zafar, an MQM worker of Unit 126, and arrested him.