KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has summoned former and incumbent investigating officers on April 15 to record their statements in a case against senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leadership for allegedly harbouring suspected militants.

MQM-P leader Amir Khan, detained former security in-charge of the now sealed MQM’s Nine Zero headquarters Minhaj Qazi and Raees alias Mama have been charged with sheltering wanted criminals at party’s Azizabad headquarters.

On Saturday, when the matter came up before the ATC judge, who is conducting the trial at the judicial complex inside the Karachi central prison, Amir Khan appeared on bail while Raees Mama and Qazi were produced from prison.

Former and incumbent IOs of the case — retired Inspector Mohsin Zaidi and Inspector Rashid Hussain — appeared before the court and requested for time to enable them to record their statements.

Amir Khan and other party leaders have been charged with sheltering wanted criminals at Nine Zero

Allowing their request, the judge directed them to appear on the next date along with relevant documents and record their testimonies against the accused persons.

Some four prosecution witnesses have already recorded their statements against the accused persons so far.

Rangers had detained the accused along with several others during a pre-dawn raid at and around the party headquarters on March 11, 2015.

According to the prosecution, the paramilitary force had arrested Amir Khan and 26 others, including Faisal Mehmood alias Mota, who was sentenced to death in absentia in the Wali Babar murder case, during the raid.

It said that the MQM leader along with five others had allegedly provided shelter to criminals whom they had been using for terrorist activities in the city. A joint investigation team recommended the registration of a case against the MQM leader Khan, it concluded.

Three absconding suspects — Shahzad Mullah, Imran Ijaz Niazi and Naeem alias Mullah — have already been declared proclaimed offenders in the case by the court.

A case was registered under Sections 11-V (directing terrorist activities), 21-J (harbouring any person who committed an offence under this act) and 7 (punishment for act of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 on a complaint of a Rangers’ official at the Azizabad police station.

Tahir Plaza arson attack

Meanwhile, the same court issued notices through the SSP-Investigation of South Range and IO for producing prosecution witnesses in the 2008 Tahir Plaza arson attack case.

Three accused — M Imran alias Imran Saeed, Ahmed Saeed alias Saeed Bharam and Faisal Javed — have been charged with resorting to violence, arson attack that led to the death of six persons and terrorism within the remit of the Risala police station on April 9, 2008.

During the hearing, the accused were produced from prison while their counsel also appeared. However, special public prosecutor Mushtaque Ahmed Jahangiri, who represents Rangers, was called absent for being sick.

The IO appeared along with police file, but he failed to produce the prosecution witnesses for recording their testimonies as directed by the court on the last date.

Adjourning the hearing till April 18, the judge issued summons to the SSP concerned and IO directing them to ensure the presence of the witnesses of the next date.

For the last 14 years, the trial is hitting snags primarily due to the absence of the prosecution’s witnesses, including senior lawyers, who were eyewitnesses of the arson attack, to record their testimonies.

Advocate Altaf Abbasi and his five clients were burnt to death in his Tahir Plaza office near City Courts when the building, which mostly housed lawyers’ offices, was set ablaze following a quarrel between two groups of lawyers at the City Courts.

A case was registered under Sections 109 (abetment) 147 (rioting) 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of one hundred rupees or (in case of agricultural produce) ten rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Risala police station.

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2022