Larger LHC bench to deliberate maintainability of Altaf 'treason case'

E-Paper | June 16, 2026

LAHORE: A three-member bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) was constituted Monday to assess the maintainability of a case against Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain for his earlier remarks about the Pakistan Army.

A petition filed by Advocate Aftab Virk in the LHC pleaded that the 'anti-army' remarks made by the MQM supremo fell under the category of treason, and that a treason case should be registered against him.

Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi wrote to LHC Chief Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik saying that since the case carried significant weight, a larger bench should be constituted to assess the maintainability of the petition.

The CJ constituted a three-member bench comprising Justices Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi, Mazhar Iqbal and Irum Sajjad Gul. Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi will head the bench.

A date for the hearing has not yet been specified.

Earlier in July, First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered in different parts of the country against Altaf Hussain for remarks made by him against the chief of Rangers in Sindh and the paramilitary force in recent speeches.

In the FIRs, Hussain was accused of involvement in cases of criminal conspiracy, waging or attempting or abetting the waging of war against Pakistan and committing acts of terrorism.

In April, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations Major-General Asim Bajwa had said that earlier statements made by the MQM chief regarding the Pakistan Army would be legally pursued.

In a series of tweets, the DG had termed the MQM chief's remarks regarding the army and its leadership as "uncalled for and disgusting", adding that such references to the army and its leadership in response to the arrest of criminals who may have links with a political party would not be tolerated.

Our readers are at the heart of everything we do.
Do you have a thought to share or a way we can improve? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at feedback@dawn.com.

Pakistan

Imran Gabol is a Lahore-based reporter for Dawn with over a decade of experience in journalism. He covers politics, climate change, human rights, education, and metropolitan affairs. He can be found on X at @gabolizm.

Imran taken to Pims for follow-up treatment, undergoes fifth eye procedure

PM Shehbaz says Pakistan to host signing ceremony of US-Iran agreement in Geneva

Muharram moon not sighted in Pakistan, Ashura to fall on June 26

Vishal Nain

Jul 27, 2015 03:18pm

LHC will not allow this case as it knows that it will open a pendora box and its proceeding will earmarked those so-called patriots that have eaten up the half part of the country and still eating the remaining.

Recommend 0

Ghulam

Jul 27, 2015 03:20pm

Please hear and take proper breakfast before coming to the bench! Thank you

Recommend 0

Kabeer

Jul 27, 2015 03:21pm

And what about belligerent speeches of Mr. Zardari, Khawaja Asif and etc against Pak Army, ? I think nothing because they are the sons of soil

Recommend 0

Mohammad Khan

Jul 27, 2015 03:28pm

How can you deside on just passing remarks

Recommend 0

Maqsood

Jul 27, 2015 03:36pm

Good Move.

Recommend 0

sana

Jul 27, 2015 03:53pm

Here comes the speech of "conspiracy against muhajirs and Altaf bhai".....

Recommend 0

Adnan

Jul 27, 2015 04:07pm

What ever the verdict he is in London it won't effect him

Recommend 0

M Jamal

Jul 27, 2015 04:30pm

The best decision will be to immediately arrange Local bodies election so that there is feeling that each one of us own the country and elected people to run their area in respect of day to day affairs, finances and policing as being done in all civilised countries.Present system is colonial

Recommend 0

Hassan

Jul 27, 2015 04:32pm

He does not have any respect for the courts, army and other ethnic communities living in Karachi. In fact he does not have any respect for Urdu speaking community as this community has suffered at large after the inception of "bori band lashain" and "batha mafia" politics in Karachi.

Recommend 0

Baligh

Jul 27, 2015 04:42pm

In the recent past the court had not agreed to entertain a petitioner seeking disqualification of Nawaz Shariff under articles 62,63. To whom the court will oblige in this case remains to be seen.

Recommend 0

M.Saeed

Jul 27, 2015 04:51pm

Why no date? What is the use when matter is time-lapsed?

Recommend 0

Zahid Khan

Jul 27, 2015 04:57pm

We got independence 68 years ago and we still Muhajir What a Joke !!!!

Recommend 0

Alien

Jul 27, 2015 05:04pm

Why Naqvi is head just to give mr Hussain a clear chit...m

Recommend 0

Radiohead

Jul 27, 2015 05:09pm

@Zahid Khan The bigger joke is constituting four provinces on the basis of ethnicity. Time for the fifth one.

Recommend 0

Faraz

Jul 27, 2015 05:38pm

@sana and why no. Can u explain the selective justice. Some guy puts Ina petition and a 3 member bench is formed immediately. What else does that show you

Recommend 0

fakhar waleed

Jul 27, 2015 05:43pm

discrimination....khuwaja asif,zardari ,munawar hassan also did the same but never this thing happened against them...

Recommend 0

Dilawar Khan

Jul 27, 2015 06:21pm

whether civil or military, Article 6 is meant for one community only..

Recommend 0

zain

Jul 27, 2015 06:33pm

@Zahid Khan Mohajir will remain Mohahir if injustices do not stop, you only have to look at the comments

Recommend 0

Azhar Hussain

Jul 27, 2015 07:03pm

@Kabeer And how long will take you to become son of the soil

Recommend 0

shair khan

Jul 27, 2015 08:11pm

Why Punjab has to decide who is loyal to the country?

Recommend 0

Sab Se Pehle Pakistan

Jul 27, 2015 08:37pm

Urban Sindh loves you Altaf Hussain. We know minus MQM how people of urban sindh will be treated. We are seeing 100s of examples of biasness and injustice happening right now. Separate province is the need of the hour. We need local LEAs working in urban sindh. Right now urban sindh has almost zero representation in LEAs operating in urban sindh

Recommend 0

Jul 27, 2015 09:18pm

I have seldom seen or heard a worthy discussion where the intellectuals do not mourn about ‘What has gone wrong with Karachi (or the entire Sindh for that matter)? It hurts me to note that ‘the very obvious’ has either ‘not’ been noted or has simply been neglected. Most of the respected scholars wonder aloud and keep wondering that despite being one country and one nation, why are we so divided and on crossroads? The constitution of 1973 the malignancy of ‘constitutional divide of Sindh was promulgated in the form five types of domicile in four provinces. There is one Domicile in Punjab, one in Balochistan , one in Khayber Pukhtoonkhwa but two in Sindh (urban and rural both). This constitutional divide in addition to the famous language bill of Sindh assembly furnished the final-stroke to the burning iron.

Recommend 0

Jul 27, 2015 09:18pm

OK then why don't you also register the case against Zardari and the Nawaz government who also criticized the Army. Where is the freedom of speech? Is the Army above the law, they can do all the illegal things and nothing will happen to them but if someone speaks against their inhumane behavior then it is a treason. Wow.. What a country!!

Recommend 0

syed ali

Jul 27, 2015 10:42pm

@Hassan I wanted to ask you one question; what happened in Hyderabad on Friday 30 Sep 1988, in a single night how many people "Mohajirs" were killed and till today none of them has been arrested. Please read history of your country, on this day dozens of gunmen armed with Kalashnikov and innovative weapons riding on cars and motorcycles of Hyderabad’s streets, bazaars and neighborhoods indiscriminately opened fire killing & injuring 300 people. That was the reason MQM was created, and it was created to foster a wedge between Sindhis and Mohajirs, who created this, who funded this, none but Gen Zia, rest is history of violence.

Recommend 0

syed ali

Jul 27, 2015 10:52pm

@zq Well said.

Recommend 0

Rashid

Jul 27, 2015 11:39pm

You can't stop someone expressing their opinion, it is nothing but freedom of speech. Besides why only Altaf Hussain, why not all other leaders (Khawaja Asif, Zardari, etc) who lambasted army just recently. We as a country as well as an army never learn. Please Pakistan army refrain yourself being politically involved with these issues, you have bigger fish to fry (extremism)

Recommend 0

Dr Rehman (Dow)

Jul 28, 2015 12:01am

i luv this from DN, he is very true There is one Domicile in Punjab, one in Balochistan , one in Khayber Pukhtoonkhwa but two in Sindh (urban and rural both). This constitutional divide in addition to the famous language bill of Sindh assembly furnished the final-stroke to the burning iron.

Recommend 0

Haque Parast

Jul 28, 2015 12:07am

@Azhar Hussain only as long as the rest of the country stop treating them like not sons of the soil. Start with Quota System please!

Recommend 0

Changez_Khan

Jul 28, 2015 02:46am

Altaf MUST be brought back to Pakistan and prosecuted in the Military court.

Recommend 0

Cyrus

Jul 28, 2015 07:05am

There is a difference between a treasonable statement and a treasonable act. If Altaf Hussein urged his MQM people to physically attack the military that could be construed as a treasonable act, rather than a treasonable statement. It depends on how the law of the land interprets what would fall into the category of a treasonable statement and what would be free speech.

Recommend 0

Cyrus

Jul 28, 2015 07:16am

@Hassan .... MQM supporters pay no attention to the rest of the country. They only hold power in one locality. Karachi represents only about 1/10 of the population. They have little national influence. Not enough influence to save themselves now that AA Zardari is distancing himself and his son from MQM. He won't go to bat for them.

Recommend 0

Cyrus

Jul 28, 2015 07:21am

@fakhar waleed ... ... Some win. Some die. Some lose. That's the world.

Recommend 0

Cyrus

Jul 28, 2015 07:34am

@zq ... This does not concern free speech - it is about a continuing criminal enterprise who bought the courts and law enforcement in Karachi.

Recommend 0

Awam

Jul 28, 2015 07:45am

Four provinces five domicile Why not five province? All provinces base on enthncity Isn't ? So what's a problem ? We will support Altaf Hussain And Mqm only no drama is acceptable p

Recommend 0

Bhatta Khorz

Jul 30, 2015 03:41am

@Radiohead, Logic here, 230 billion rupees of black money from Karachi every year, still victim card. Target killing of thousands of innocent people, still victim card. Threats to state, still victim card. Vulgar language for hours, still victim card.

Recommend 0

Bhatta Khorz

Jul 30, 2015 03:43am

@Sab Se Pehle Pakista, 230 billion rupees of black money from Karachi every year, still victim card. Target killing of thousands of innocent people, still victim card. Threats to state, still victim card. Vulgar language for hours, still victim card.

Recommend 0

CHECKMATE

Jul 30, 2015 03:51am

@syed ali, lolz half of the people who were killed were Sindhis, get your info right.

Recommend 0

Branded Content

Why SQD-Mini LED is the display breakthrough we’ve been waiting for?

The display industry is entering a new phase, where reducing trade-offs is as important as pushing performance limits.

The Palms at Silk Gardens introduces a new family address in Karachi

The Palms places families at the heart of its vision, offering thoughtfully planned 2 and 3-bedroom units in a secure, peaceful and community-led environment.