KARACHI: Police on Thursday registered a sedition case against a senior London-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader on the complaint of a local resident, who cited media reports as the sole evidence in his plea.

Though the police authorities did not come up with any immediate plans against Muhammad Anwar, the MQM leader, the Muttahida termed the case continuation of a “state-backed campaign against the party”, vowing to take the legal course to counter the allegation.

“An FIR has been registered against Muhammad Anwar at the Gulbahar police station on a complaint of local resident Imran Bikik,” said DIG-West Feroze Shah. “He approached the police and filed a complaint after which the due process was followed to register the FIR (No 148/2015). The main crux of the sections in the FIR allege that he conspired against the country and its sovereignty.”

He replied in the affirmative when asked whether the complainant had only cited media reports in his application to establish his argument against the MQM leader.

However, there was no word from the police authorities about the background and further details of the complainant who, on the basis of some media reports, believed that there were links between Mr Anwar and the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, which was against the sovereignty and security of Pakistan.

The case against Mr Anwar was registered under Sections 123-A (condemnation of the creation of the State, and advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty), 124-A (sedition), 153 (want only giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The FIR against Mr Anwar was lodged just a day after an antiterrorism court declared MQM chief Altaf Hussain a proclaimed offender in a case of criminal intimidation.

The self-exiled MQM chief was booked for allegedly threatening Rangers officials during a TV talk show following a pre-dawn raid on his party’s headquarters, Nine Zero, in Azizabad, on March 11.

Meanwhile, the MQM called the FIR against Mr Anwar part of an ongoing “state campaign against the party which has seen extrajudicial killings of its workers and enforced disappearances of hundreds of activists”.

A spokesman for the MQM said that the party’s legal aid committee would look into the details of the case against Mr Anwar to take a future legal course.

“We are a true patriotic and democratic party,” he said. “That’s why despite all suppression and injustices, we have only adopted peaceful and democratic ways to raise our voice and we will keep doing so.”

He said that the MQM believed in the power of the vote and its popularity was reflected in the April 23 by-election on a National Assembly seat (NA-246) in Karachi and local government election for Cantonment boards when the party-backed candidates emerged victorious despite a “media trial and propaganda against the MQM.”

Published in Dawn October 2nd, 2015

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