KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Saturday indicted several senior leaders and workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in two cases pertaining to listening to an incendiary speech of MQM founder Altaf Hussain that triggered a violent protest, arson attack and ransacking of some media houses.

Senior MQM-P leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Amir Khan, Kanwar Naveed, Qamar Mansoor, Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Abdul Qadir Khanzada, Shahid Pasha, Gulfaraz Khattak, Hasan Alam, Ashraf Noor and around 50 party workers have been booked in cases pertaining to arranging and listening to the provocative speech of their London-based leader outside the Karachi Press Club on Aug 22, 2016.

On Saturday, the matter was fixed before the ATC-II for framing of charges against the suspects, who all were present in court.

An accountability court indicts ex-KPT chief for regularising 940 workers

The judge read out the charges and all of them pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the cases.

The court summoned the investigating officers and prosecution witnesses to record their statements on the next date.

According to the prosecution, then MQM coordination committee members had organised and listened to a provocative speech of Mr Hussain outside the KPC on Aug 22, 2016 that caused a violent protest, arson attack and ransacking of some media houses.

Ex-KPT chairman, others indicted

An accountability court on Saturday indicted six suspects, including a former chairman of the Karachi Port Trust, in a case pertaining to regularising services of over 900 KPT employees.

Then federal minister for ports and shipping Babar Ghauri of the MQM, then KPT chairmen Javed Hanif, Rauf Akhtar Farooqui, Mohammad Iqbal, Mohammad Saparas and others have been booked for illegally regularising 940 employees of the KPT.

Mr Hanif is also a member of Sindh Assembly belonging to the MQM-P.

Four accused appeared in court on bail and two were produced from prison.

Judge Aaliya Latif Unar of the Accountability Court-II read out charges against the accused, who pleaded not guilty and opted to contest.

The court summoned the prosecution witnesses to record their statements on the next date and fixed the matter for Nov 11.

In the meanwhile, the court separated the matter against Mr Ghauri who has not been arrested.

The National Accountability Bureau filed a reference against eight suspects alleging that the then federal minister for ports and shipping, the then KPT chairman and others illegally regularised the services of 940 employees of the KPT causing losses to the tune of Rs2.8bn to the national exchequer.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2018