PESHAWAR, Sept 13: Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leaders have described the ongoing operation in Karachi as aimed only at the MQM.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club here on Friday, MQM’s Rabita Committee member Aslam Shah Afridi said the government was busy registering cases against MQM workers on ‘mala fide basis’, but his party would not remain silent over the ‘injustices’.

Condemning the arrest and registering cases against the workers during ongoing the targeted operation, he demanded of the administration and police to stop the ‘discriminatory’ attitude against the party.

Mr Afridi said apparently the law enforcers launched a targeted operation against extortionists and mafias in Karachi, but they turned their guns towards MQM and arrested its former lawmaker.

He was flanked by the party’s Nowshera district in charge, Ibrahim Khan Afridi, Charsadda district chief Jehanzeb Khan, Farhadullah, and Peshawar in charge Junaid Habib, and Mardan in charge Hidayatullah.

Mr Afridi said that MQM had welcomed the government decision to establish peace in the port city and extended every possible support in this regard, but police and Rangers raided the MQM-dominated areas and arrested workers from their houses by implicating them in false cases.

He said the MQM workers didn’t react against the ‘discrimination’ in the ongoing operation as they didn’t want to obstruct the action.

However, he said the police and Rangers arrested MQM North Nazimabad in charge, Nadeem Quershi for no fault of his.

The MQM leader said that houses of traders and industrialists were still being attacked with hand grenades, and kidnappings for ransom were rampant. “Despite having clear evidence and clues about the extortionists and “Parchi mafia” in Karachi, no action is being taken against the culprits,” he said.

The MQM leader warned that if the action against the MQM was not stopped, the party would strongly protest in both the houses of parliament.