KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Wednesday issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder Altaf Hussain, senior leader Dr Farooq Sattar and others in two cases pertaining to sedition and rioting.

The ATC-II, which has been assigned the trial of the suspects by the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts, ordered the investigation officer to arrest the absconders and present them in court on Oct 17.

According to the charge-sheets, 52 persons have been arrested, while up to 2,000 others, including Dr Sattar, Amir Khan, Gul Faraz Khattak, are shown as absconders.

Dr Sattar is now heading the MQM-Pakistan.

According to the FIRs, after listening to an incendiary speech of their London-based chief on Aug 22 at a hunger strike camp outside the Karachi Press Club, activists resorted to a violent protest, ransacking media houses, killing Syed Azan Arif, wounding around seven others, torching a police van and a motorbike, rioting and clashing with police personnel.

The cases (FIRs 116/2016 and 117/2016) were registered by the Artillery Maidan police under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 123-A (condemnation of the creation of the state and advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty), 124-A (sedition), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage, etc), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc), 337 (shajjah), 506-B (criminal for intimidation) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Arshad Pappu murder case

Another ATC put off the hearing of the Arshad Pappu murder case due to the absence of the investigation officer.

The presiding officer of the court, who is conducting the trial on the premises of the Karachi central prison, fixed Oct 19 as the next date of hearing.

Outlawed Peoples Amn Committee chief Uzair Baloch and former SHO Chand Khan Niazi, PPP MNA from Lyari Shahjehan Baloch, along with some former police officials and other accused have been charged with killing Arshad Pappu, the alleged leader of an infamous Lyari gang, his brother Yasir Arafat and their confidant Juma Shera, in March 2013.

Niazi, the then SHO of a Lyari police station, along with his accomplices has been accused of allegedly kidnapping Pappu and two others in Defence and handing them over to the Uzair group in Lyari.

The prosecution said that the rival group had killed the captives after subjecting them to torture and the bodies of Pappu and his brother were thrown in manholes in Kalakot after being mutilated.

Published in Dawn September 29th, 2016