Rangers free 19 more suspects arrested from MQM headquarters

KARACHI: The Rangers paramilitary force early Friday released 19 more suspects detained in a raid on the Karachi headquarters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) the previous morning in which it said illegal weapons were seized and wanted criminals arrested.

In the raid early Thursday morning on the 'Nine-Zero' headquarters, over 100 suspects had been arrested, including 28 members of the MQM who were later produced in court and remanded into Rangers custody for 90 days.

The Rangers had claimed it had seized a "huge quantity" of weapons, including prohibited arms, and arrested hardened convicted criminals, including one accused of murdering a journalist Wali Babar.

At least one activist of the MQM, which is the fourth-largest party in Pakistan and the largest in Karachi, also died of a gunshot wound to the head as party members protested following the raid.

A total of 22 arrested suspects have now been freed, with three released earlier on Thursday. Among those released are MQM activists, supporters, and five guards of a private security firm.