More than 20 people were taken into custody after police and security agencies carried out a joint raid on a 'dummy newspaper' office linked to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London faction (MQM-London) on Karachi’s I.I. Chundrigar Road. According to media reports, law enforcement personnel conducted the operation with the assistance of intelligence agencies. During the raid, security agencies recovered banners and flags allegedly associated with the banned political faction.

Police sources said the premises were allegedly being used to operate a network linked to the London-based group under the cover of a 'dummy' newspaper publication. The police sources stated that an assistant commissioner and members of the administrative team were also present during the security agencies' operation. Following the recovery of the material, officials sealed the office and launched further investigations into its activities. Initial reports indicated that more than 20 individuals were detained and transferred to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

The faction commonly known as MQM-London traces its origins to the political movement founded by Altaf Hussain in 1984. The party later underwent organisational divisions, with separate factions emerging in Pakistan and abroad. The latest operation comes nearly a decade after a major crackdown against the organisation in 2016, when authorities raided and sealed its Karachi headquarters following controversial speech delivered by Altaf Hussain from London.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)