KARACHI: An antiterrorism court directed the police on Monday to approach the authorities concerned to place the names of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar and two other leaders of the MQM-P on the exit control list.

Dr Sattar, MQM founder Altaf Hussain, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain and some other party leaders are absconders in five cases lodged after a highly provocative speech of the MQM founder in August last year outside the Karachi Press Club triggered a violent protest, arson attacks and ransacking of media houses.

The court has repeatedly been issuing non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconding accused over the last many hearings.

When the cases came up for hearing before the ATC-II judge, who is jointly conducting the trial of five cases, a senior superintendent of police appeared before the court and informed it that the last warrants could not be executed.

While expressing resentment over the police’s failure to arrest the absconders, the court directed the SSP to approach the authorities concerned to put the names of Dr Sattar, Dr Hussain and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on the ECL, and also issued fresh warrants against them and other absconders with the direction to the police to arrest and produce them before the court on next hearing.

Court issues fresh warrants for arrest of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain

Kanwar Naveed allowed to perform Umrah Meanwhile, the court allowed an application of MQM lawmaker Kanwar Naveed Jameel seeking permission to perform Umrah, but directed him to furnish a Rs2 million surety bond.

The MNA, who is on bail in all the five cases, through his lawyer moved the application. The court also allowed the bail application of Qamar Mansoor in one case against a surety bond of Rs2m.

Initially, police had arrested MQM leaders Kanwar Naveed, Qamar Mansoor, Shahid Pasha, Gul Faraz and around 50 party workers in two cases lodged at the Artillery Maidan police station related to the provocative speech of the MQM founder on Aug 22 outside the Karachi Press Club. Police had shown Mr Hussain, Dr Farooq Sattar, Amir Liaquat and other party leaders as absconders.

Later, police also charge-sheeted the same set of suspects in three identical cases pertaining to the Aug 22 speech lodged at the Quaidabad, Steel Town and SITE Superhighway police stations. The cases were lodged under multiple charges, including sedition and offences against the state.

Man gets 14 years

Another ATC sentenced on Monday a man to 14 years’ imprisonment in an explosives case.

Hasan Akhtar, said to be a political activist, was found guilty of carrying explosive material in a Korangi area in 2015.

The ATC-I judge read out the conviction order after recording evidence of witnesses and concluding arguments from both sides.

Police lodged a case against the accused under Section 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Awami Colony police station.

Prosecutors’ strike

The prosecutors at the subordinate judiciary, who have been observing a two-hour token strike since Feb 15, said they would observe a complete strike on every Saturday across the province as their judicial allowance had not been increased since 2008.

The prosecutors, Javed Latif Memon and Iqbal Solangi, said the judicial staff and the provincial law officers appearing before the Sindh High Court had been availing three basic salaries as an allowance since 2008, but this benefit was not being extended to the prosecutors and attorneys of the lower judiciary.

They said the prosecuting officers petitioned the SHC in 2011 to avail the same benefit, but the petition was still pending, adding that besides a two-hour daily token strike, they would observe a complete boycott of legal proceedings on every Saturday until their demands were met.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2017