KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) here issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of 25 senior leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), including party chief Altaf Hussain, in around 10 cases for delivering and listening to a speech criticising the military establishment.

The MQM leaders were named in different FIRs by private complainants who alleged that the named persons had attended a public gathering and listened to Altaf Hussain's outburst against the security agencies on July 12 this year.

In his speech, Hussain had accused the paramilitary forces of torturing and killing his party workers.

Examine: Altaf accuses Rangers chief of violating army code of conduct

Compiled on the basis of FIRs registered against the MQM leaders at police stations in Malir cantonment, Sukhan, Bin Qasim Town, New Town and Steel Town, Karachi police presented before the ATC a charge sheet in which the MQM leaders were charged under Section 12 (collection of evidence in the absence of accused) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Police submitted charge-sheets in around 10 cases and showed MQM leaders as absconders except Rauf Siddiqui, who is on a pre-arrest bail.

Accepting the charge sheet, ATC-I judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 25 MQM leaders, including MQM chief Altaf Hussain, MQM's mayoral candidate for Karachi Waseem Akhtar and senior party leaders Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Rauf Siddiqui, Qamar Mansoor, Rehan Hashmi , Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Rasheed Godil, Kaiful Wara and others.

The court directed the police to arrest and present the accused before the court on January 2.

The development comes a week after the MQM nominated Waseem Akhtar for the position of Karachi mayor following its comprehensive victory in local government elections in Karachi earlier this month.

In July, 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 his speeches.

Know more: ‘Altaf’s remarks against Rangers unacceptable’

In the FIRs, the MQM chief 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.

His July 12 speech was apparently in response to media reports that quoted Rangers sources as saying the paramilitary force was going to release a factsheet about the March 11 raid on MQM’s Nine Zero headquarters in Azizabad.

Altaf Hussain had called upon the army chief to take notice of the alleged violation of army’s code of conduct by the director general of Sindh Rangers and other officials and urged him to do justice in the matter.