KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker Khawaja Izharul Hassan, who is leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly, on Thursday filed a petition in the Sindh High Court to seek pre-arrest bail in as many as 25 cases registered against him under antiterrorism laws.

Paralegal sources told Dawn that the MQM leader filed a constitutional petition asking the court to grant him pre-arrest bail in the cases registered against him for listening to and facilitating Altaf Hussain’s speech criticising the military establishment.

The sources said the petitioner claimed that the cases had been registered against him to politically victimise him. They said the petition was expected to come up for initial hearing on Friday before a two-judge bench.

The MQM leader in his petition stated that he was falsely implicated in the cases with an aim to humiliate, harass and arrest him. He said he wanted to appear before the trial court to face the charges, but apprehended his arrest in the cases.

He asked the court to grant him protective bail so that he could appear in court for his defence.

Several MQM leaders, including party’s mayoral nominee Waseem Akhtar, former home minister Rauf Siddiqui, former federal minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and senator Syed Tahir Hussain Mashhadi and were given protective bail by the SHC in identical cases.

The MQM leaders were named in the FIR registered at different police stations by private complainants who alleged that they had attended a public gathering and listened to the MQM chief’s outburst against the security agencies.

The complainants in the cases stated that MQM chief Altaf Hussain had criticised the government and the country’s security agencies, and his slanderous remarks hurt their feelings.

They also alleged that the MQM chief had conspired and instigated his workers against the security agencies.

Mr Hussain had delivered a speech accusing the paramilitary force of torturing and killing his party workers.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2016