KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has approached the Supreme Court for verification of its order of granting bail to the interned leader of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) MNA Ali Wazir in a sedition case.

PTM’s chief Manzoor Pashteen along with 10 party leaders including MNA Wazir and MNA Mohsin Dawar have been booked for committing sedition by inciting the people to wage a war against the state by delivering provocative speeches against security forces at a rally held in Sohrab Goth on Dec 6, 2020.

MNA Wazir, who is incarcerated in Karachi central prison, is also facing trial in another case pertaining to conspiring against the state and its institutions lodged at the Shah Latif police station in 2018.

The matter was recently came up before the ATC-XII-judge, who is conducting the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison. MNA Wazir was produced in custody.

Defence counsel Abdul Qadir pointed out that the Supreme Court had on Nov 30, 2021 allowed Wazir’s appeal against dismissal of his bail plea by the Sindh High Court (SHC) and granted him post-arrest bail against a surety of Rs400,000 in the Sohrab Goth rally case.

He requested the court to get the apex court’s bail order verified, as was required under the law, and upon its verification pass an order for his release from prison.

Advocate Qadir reminded that he made such a request around two months ago, but the same could not be accepted till date.

He once again requested the judge to issue necessary directives to the office to get the bail order verified from the SC in Islamabad as soon as possible.

Granting the request, the court directed its office to fax a letter to the SC immediately for the purpose of verification of the purported bail order passed by the apex court.

In the meanwhile, the state prosecutor produced two prosecution witnesses — Assistant Sub-Inspector Soomar Khan and Constable Saad — for recording their testimonies in the present case.

Both the witnesses deposed that they had arrested local PTM leader Haji Muhammad Sher on Dec 21, 2020 from Israr Hotel in Quetta Town in connection with the case pertaining to holding of a rally in Sohrab Goth.

The defence counsel while cross-examining the witnesses, denied their statement of arresting Haji Sher from a hotel and argued that the law enforcers had taken him in his custody from his house.

After recording testimonies and cross-examination of the two witness, the judge summoned other witnesses and adjourned the hearing till Feb 11.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2022