Karachi
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday remanded an alleged target killer, Masood Siddiqui, to Rangers’ custody under 90-day preventive detention.
Rangers’ law officer informed the court that Siddiqui, said to be the brother of a political leader, had obtained training of terrorist activities in India and was involved in target killings of more than a dozen persons in Karachi.
He claimed that the accused had also confessed to being trained in India and gathering huge sums of extortion money in the city.
The court endorsed the apprehension order of the Rangers under Section 11-EEE of the Pakistan Protection Act permitting the paramilitary force to take custody of Siddiqui for 90 days.
NBWs issued again
A court again issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of around 20 leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), including Qamar Mansoor, Dr Farooq Sattar, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Khush Bakht Shujaat, Nasreen Jalil, Kunwar Naveed Jameel and Faisal Sabzwari, in a case registered at Soldier Bazaar Police Station for alleged violation of Section 144 and use of loudspeakers during a campaign for the local government elections in November.
As many as 1,500 MQM workers have been listed as absconders in the charge sheet filed in the court of Judicial Magistrate (East) Naga Ram Meesani, who directed the investigation officer (IO) to ensure the arrest of the accused who were in hiding, and present them in court.
The FIR had been lodged against dozens of MQM leaders for the alleged violation of several law provisions during a protest rally held last November at Numaish Chowrangi. It was alleged that the protesters violated Section 144 by gathering unlawfully and flouted the Loudspeaker Act, 2015.
The MQM’s coordination committee had called on its leaders and workers to gather in front of the Rangers Headquarters to protest against the raids on party offices in Korangi and Sultanabad areas, and alleged the arrest of more than 100 within a span of four days.
The party workers were stopped from marching to the Rangers Headquarters and they staged a sit-in at Numaish Chowrangi. The blockade of one of the busiest intersections of the city had led to traffic jams in the surrounding areas. Waseem Akhtar is on bail in this case.
The court had summoned the alleged violators but they had not made an appearance. The court has issued non-bailable warrants twice and has ordered the IO to arrest and present the accused in court.