Exiled MQM leader Altaf Hussain arrested on money-laundering charge
Money-laundering charge leads to large protests and unrest in MQM chief's Karachi powerbase
The powerful exiled leader of Pakistan's MQM party, Altaf Hussain, was arrested in London yesterday on suspicion of moneylaundering as thousands of people in his home city of Karachi staged a sit-in calling for his release.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has its power base in the violence-wracked city, Pakistan's largest, which it controls with an iron fist. Hussain's arrest, confirmed by MQM officials in London, has sparked fears of a violent backlash there.
British police said only that a 60-year-old man had been detained at a residential address in northwest London on suspicion of money-laundering. It said officers were searching the building.
Hussain wields effective control over Karachi from his London suburb, addressing supporters through a loudspeaker linked to a telephone.
A few hours later, the MQM announced a major protest and said they would block the city's main MA Jinnah thoroughfare until Hussain's release. "Everyone should come to endorse his or her love and solidarity to Altaf Hussain," said Haider Abbas Rizvi, a senior party official.
About 4,000 people had reached the Numaish Chowrangi intersection last night, with many more expected to join them.