KARACHI – Saleem Shahzad a member of the now defunct singular Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was arrested in Karachi shortly after he landed back in Pakistan on Monday.
Although the political leader was travelling on a British passport, he was detained at the airport for security clearance, confirmed Karachi police chief Mushtaq Mehar.
Saleem was shifted to Gaddap police station for further interrogation.
Talking to newsmen in Dubai, Shahzad said he would announce his next political plan of action after consulting with friends and family in Karachi.
The politician claimed various circles in Karachi were threatening him with arrest but he was not afraid.
“I have not committed any crime, I am not afraid of getting arrested,” he said, adding that he was currently being treated for cancer.
“Rumors of me joining MQM-Pakistan are false,” he asserted.
“I have been associated with politics since three decades, now is the time that Karachi’s politics takes place within the city and that also by its own residents,” Shahzad added.
Shahzad was suspended from the MQM a few years ago and since then he detached himself from politics. He, however, regularly attended the party events in its London Secretariat.
In a surprise announcement, the politician announced to return to Pakistan ending his self-exile.
The former MQM leader had previously spoken out against a ‘mafia’ in the party working against MQM supremo Altaf Hussain.
