KARACHI: An antiterrorism court issued on Tuesday a warrant for the arrest of a former chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Karachi Tanzeemi Committee, Hammad Siddiqui, and others in a case pertaining to a gun attack on the rally of a nationalist party.
Amir Ali alias Sarphata, who was among the around 100 suspects picked up by Rangers personnel in a pre-dawn raid on and around the MQM headquarters in March, with his absconding accomplices, has been booked for allegedly attacking the rally of the Awami Tehreek in 2012.
Police submitted a charge sheet against the detained suspect and showed Hammad Siddiqui, Waris, Mohammad Shan and others as absconding accused in the case.
An in-charge judge of ATC-III re-issued non-bailable warrants against the absconders and directed the police to arrest them and produce in court by Aug 18.
According to the prosecution, the Awami Tehreek took out a ‘Love Sindh Rally’ from Lyari to march towards the Karachi Press Club on May 22, 2012. When the procession was passing through Napier Road, it was attacked by gunmen, killing six people, including a woman, and wounding nine others.
A case was registered under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder) 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act, 1997 at the Kharadar police station.
Sabeen Mahmud murder case
The same court issued on Tuesday non-bailable warrants for the arrest of an absconder in the Sabeen Mahmud murder case.
Tahir Hussain Minhas alias Sain, Saad Aziz alias Tin Tin alias John and Asad-ur-Rehman alias Malik have been booked for allegedly killing Sabeen Mahmud, a social media campaigner and human rights activist, on April 24 in the Defence Housing Authority when she, along with her mother, was returning home after holding a seminar on Balochistan.
Ali Rehman was an absconder in the case and the court issued a warrant for his arrest till Aug 17. The same suspects were also booked in the Safoora Goth bus carnage case.
Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2015
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