Pakistan Rangers claim evidence that MQM men are hiding, not missing

The Pakistan Rangers has said that instances of activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) "willingly disappearing" should not be counted as cases of "missing persons" as it claimed to have found evidence suggesting that MQM founder Altaf Hussain had asked his workers to go into hiding.

The paramilitary force shared its finding with the Senate Standing Committee's Functional Committee on Human Rights, led by its chairperson Nasreen Jalil, who expressed surprise and resentment over the absence of the provincial police chief and the Rangers director general from the meeting, reports Dawn.

Several questions mostly related to the Karachi operation against criminals were put forth by the committee.

On being asked by a member of the committee on the issue of missing persons, Colonel Qaiser Khattak of the Rangers said that disappearance of every person could not be put under that account. His explanation referred to a recent video of the MQM founder suggesting to his workers to go into hiding to avoid arrest.

He, however, said that the findings of an investigation into the custodial death of an MQM worker and coordinator to the party's leader Dr. Farooq Sattar could not be shared because the process was still on.