KARACHI, April 6: Afaq Ahmed, chairman of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement, was on Tuesday remanded to police custody for four days for interrogation in a murder case.
The case, registered in 1992, pertained to the killing of a man and kidnapping of over a dozen people in Landhi.
Afaq Ahmed was brought to the City Courts in handcuffs amid extraordinary security arrangements, with his face muffled. Dozens of his women supporters raised slogans in his favour on his arrival.
"Is this the way to produce a political leader in a court", Afaq Ahmed asked Judicial Magistrate Pervezul Qadir Memon when the police officials uncovered his face. "This is sheer humiliation", he rumbled. He also chief showed the magistrate marks of handcuffs on his hands when the police officials unlocked handcuffs on orders of the magistrate.
Admonishing the police officials, the magistrate warned them never to bring a suspect with his face muffled or hands tied on his back. Khawaja Naveed, counsel for Mr Ahmed, submitted before the court that his client was a political leader and head of a political party, which was one of the representative parties of the Mohajir community.
He stated that the rival faction of the party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, had joined hands with the present regime and since then his client was named in several FIRs. He also recalled that the party headquarter, Baitul Hamza, was razed and party's general secretary, Amir Khan, was also arrested out of political victimization.
The counsel told the court that the police had sought physical custody of his client in a murder case, which had already been decided by an additional district and sessions court. He stated that the police had already charge-sheeted three accused in the case and the court had exonerated them from all charges.
Prosecution inspector Mohammed Akram submitted that the case was being reinvestigated on an application of the complainant to the provincial police chief. The inspector told the court that the Landhi police had initially registered the case against Afaq Ahmed, Amir Khan and Zubair Ahmed on the complaint of Mohammed Ismail Qureshi on June 19, 1992, for killing Farooq Ahmed and injuring Ataullah and Amir. They were also booked for kidnapping 15 workers of the rival party.
He stated that the then SHO of Landhi did not arrest the MQM leaders as the vicinity was their stronghold. He said the then SHO instead implicated three innocent people.
The defence counsel submitted that his client was entitled to be released in the case as the police had already submitted challan against three accused, who were acquitted by the trial court. "Instead of remanding my client to the police custody, the then SHO be remanded to the police for his dishonest deeds", he remarked.
The defence counsel also submitted before the court that his client was a chronic heart patient and he regularly needed medicines. He requested the court to ensure provision of required medicines to his client. After hearing arguments from the defence and the prosecution, the magistrate remanded Mr Afaq Ahmed to the police custody.
Afaq Ahmed told the court that the police had kept him at a very dirty place where security arrangements seemed to be inadequate. He requested the court to order deployment of rangers for his security. The police officials again muffled the face of the MQM leader and led him away in handcuffs.
The women supporters, almost all of them clad in burqas, showered rose petals on their leader as he was taken to the armoured personnel car after being remanded to the police custody.
The police did not allow newsmen to talk to Mr Ahmed. They also tried to evict newsmen from the courtroom and formally sought permission from the magistrate for doing so.
