KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Friday remanded Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Amir Khan in judicial custody in a case of instigating terrorism and harbouring criminals.

After the end of his one-week physical remand, police produced the MQM leader in court again amid tight security.

The investigating officer submitted that he be sent to prison as his custody was no longer needed for questioning. The ATC-II judge sent Amir Khan to prison on judicial remand till June 25 and asked the IO to submit an investigation report till next hearing.

Defence lawyer Shaukat Hayat moved an application seeking B-class (better facilities) in prison for the MQM leader by submitting that his client was entitled to it under Section 248 of the Prison Rules as he was a postgraduate and also a taxpayer.

The court provisionally allowed the application subject to the verification of the degree and tax record.

The MQM leader was picked up with dozens of other suspects by the Rangers in a pre-dawn raid on and around the party headquarters Nine Zero in Azizabad on March 11.

While placing them under 90-day preventive detention, the paramilitary force had informed a court that they had credible information about their alleged involvement in crimes related to targeted killing and terrorism.

On June 4, the Rangers handed over the MQM leader to the police after registering a case against him and others for allegedly harbouring criminals and using them for terrorist activities and the following day he was remanded in police custody for a week.

According to the FIR, besides around 59 suspects, including Amir Khan, placed under preventive detention, the paramilitary force had also arrested during the March 11 raid 26 armed suspects, including Faisal Mehmood alias Faisal Mota, who was sentenced to death by a court in absentia for the murder of journalist Wali Khan Babar; Obaid alias K2, who was wanted in many cases; and Noman alias Nomi, an absconder in the Advocate Niamat Ali Randhawa murder case.

It alleged that the MQM leader and others admitted during questioning that Amir Khan was in charge of the party headquarters security and he with Minhaj Qazi, Raees Mama, Shahzad Mullah, Imran Ijaz Niazi and Naeem alias Mullah had allegedly provided shelter to arrested criminals and had been using them for terrorist activities in the city.

A joint investigation team recommended the registration of a case against the MQM leader and others, the FIR concluded.

The case was registered at the Azizabad police station on a complaint of Rangers Deputy Superintendent Ashraf Hussain under Sections 11V (directing terrorist activities), 21J (harbouring any person who committed an offence under this act) and 7 (punishment for act of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play