Karachi fears violence after Pakistani politician arrest

Altaf Hussain, leader of the powerful Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was arrested in north west London where he has lived in self-imposed exile since the early 1990s.

All shops and markets are shut. Even small cigarette shops are closed. Mohammad Mousa, Karachi resident

Police declined to confirm the identity of a 60-year-old man arrested on suspicion of money-laundering in an early morning raid, but an MQM spokesman said that Mr Hussain had been arrested at his home on Tuesday morning as a part of an ongoing investigation.

The MQM spokesman said Mr Hussain was happy to help police with their inquiries.

‘Fearing violence’

MQM is Karachi’s most powerful political party and Mr Hussain holds considerable sway, even from his unassuming headquarters in London’s Edgware.

Above: Pro-Hussain Altaf protesters in Karachi

The party’s support base is millions of Muslim Urdu-speaking people whose families migrated to Karachi and nearby areas at the time of the 1947 partition of India.

Such is Mr Hussain’s importance in the city that as news of his arrest broke, shop-keepers and market stall owners rushed to close their businesses for fear of violence, residents said.

Pakistani media coverage showed a burning vehicle in a Karachi street and it was reported that the city’s traffic came to a standstill as people rushed home (pictured, above).

“All shops and markets are shut. Even small cigarette shops are closed,” Mohammad Moosa, a resident of Karachi, told Reuters. “Petrol station operators have also closed down, fearing violence.”

Extra police have been deployed at the British High Commission in the industrial city.

Controversy

Mr Hussain is a controversial figure – and is known for his fiery addresses to his supporters in Karachi though a loudspeaker connected to a telephone.

The party portrays itself as moderate and secular, but has been accused of using violent tactics in the past.

Above: Police outside British consulate in Karachi on Tuesday

Mr Hussain has himself been accused of inciting violence. Last year Imran Khan, leader of Pakistan’s PTI party, directly blamed Mr Hussain for the murder of a party vice-president.

MQM has always denied such allegations. On Tuesday, MQM also called on its supporters to stage a “peaceful” sit-in to protest against the arrest, and not to resort to violence.

MQM also said it “strongly condemned violent incidents” following the news of Mr Hussain’s arrest, and said such incidents were nothing to do with MQM and may be attempts to “defame” the party.