Tensions between MQM and the Sindh government escalated after two MQM Pakistan workers were taken into custody for putting up banners demanding that Karachi be handed over to the federal government.

The incident occurred late Tuesday night near Maskan Chowrangi in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, where the banners were being installed. Police detained the two workers, identified as Umair and Tariq, and transferred them to an undisclosed location.

News of the detentions quickly drew a large number of MQM workers and party leaders, including provincial assembly member Farhan Ansari, to Gulshan-e-Iqbal Police Station, where they staged a protest.

Farhan Ansari condemned the arrests, saying, “these workers are being punished for exercising their political rights.

This is not a crime but a political expression. We have no clear information on the whereabouts of Umair and Tariq, and there is concern they may have been handed over to another agency. If the Sindh government believes these arrests will intimidate us, they are mistaken.”