PTI worker, cameraman injured in brawl
HYDERABAD: An activist of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and a cameraman of a private TV channel were injured in a brawl between two groups here on Friday.
A group of PTI activists were protesting over a damaged road to the airport at Latifabad Unit 12 when the brawl took place between the protesters and some unidentified persons, who roughed up the protesters and resorted to firing.
The windowpanes of a car (ABS-359), belonging to PTI Hyderabad district president Dr Mustansar Billa, was smashed in the clash.
The protest was being led by Dr Billa and others. He told Dawn that around 30-40 activists of the PTI were protesting against the damaged road to airport near the Khuda Hafiz board at Latifabad Unit 12 and demanding that the government rebuild or repair the road. He claimed that the activists were protesting peacefully.
“All of a sudden 15 to 20 armed activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) arrived there and forbade the PTI activists from protesting and opened fire on them, causing gunshot injuries to three activist of the PTI and a cameraman and smashed the windowpanes of my car,” said Dr Billa.
He was unaware of names of the three activists and the cameraman but said the injured were taken to the Liaquat University Hospital’s (LUH) Hyderabad branch.
But MQM zonal in-charge Mohammad Shareef rejected Dr Billa’s version and termed it a baseless allegation against MQM activists. No MQM activist was involved in attack on PTI men, he said.
At the casualty ward of the LUH, Dr Mushtaque Noonari told Dawn that two injured men were taken to the hospital.
He said they were cameraman of a private TV channel, Aftab Ahmed, and PTI activist Mohammad Nadir Sultan aka Raja.
He said the cameraman had received some stick injuries in the head and was shifted to the neurosurgery ward of the hospital, where he was reported as stable, while Raja received a gunshot injury in his leg and was discharged after initial medical treatment.
A-Section police station personnel reached the spot and defused the tension.
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