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UK police arrest Pakistan political leader

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The British police have arrested the leader of a powerful Pakistani political party on suspicion of money-laundering, an official says.

Altaf Hussain from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was detained early Tuesday in his northwest London residence, said Muhammad Anwar, a senior London-based official with his party.

“The police have produced a warrant and are searching the house. They are suggesting that they would interview him,” Anwar said.
Hussain has been living in the UK over the last two decades, saying his life would be at risk if he returned to Pakistan.

Police in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi have been put on alert as businesses closed and residents rushed home fearing violence.

The MQM party’s senior figures are holding an emergency meeting and have appealed to supporters to remain peaceful and calm.

Media reports showed a tense situation in Karachi with incidents of sporadic gunfire and at least six vehicles being burned.

Hussain’s party has dominated Karachi for nearly three decades through a combination of electoral politics and violence.

Security has been tightened around the British mission in Karachi, which has been closed temporarily.

Karachi is home to numerous ethnic groups and has been frequently hit by clashes between rival ethnic and political factions in the past two decades.

Sectarian, political and ethnic violence in Karachi has killed hundreds of people in Pakistan’s main commercial hub so far this year.

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