Non-bailable arrest warrant issued against Farooq Sattar
and other MQM leaders in provocative speech cases
Karachi
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday once again rejected the bail pleas of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) senior leader Rauf Siddiqui and Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) leader Anis Qaimkhani in the case against former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain for facilitating terrorists.
The two leaders are accused of asking Dr Asim Hussain to provide medical treatment to outlaws and militants at his Ziauddin Hospital.
The ATC had earlier rejected the interim bail pleas of the two leaders along with other accused persons.
After the two leaders were taken into the custody, they had moved bail applications in the Sindh High Court. However, the SHC had directed them to approach the ATC-II, stating that the trial court had discretionary powers to grant the bail.
Consequently, the two leaders approached the trial court that once again rejected the bail pleas on Wednesday, stating that the court was perfectly right in rejecting the interim bail as serious allegations had been leveled against both the accused in the report submitted by the joint investigation team (JIT).
The two leaders had submitted the required documents on court’s directive and now after the rejection of their bail pleas from the trial court, it was hinted by the attorneys concerned that the bail applications would be once again filed in the Sindh High Court with challenging the ATC’s ruling.
The court has adjourned the hearing till August 20.
Dr Asim Hussain, former petroleum minister and a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader, is the key accused in this case. Another PPP leader Abdul Qadir Patel and MQM nominated Mayor Waseem Akhtar and Pakistan Pasban Leader Usman Moazzam are also facing the same case.
All the under detention leaders were present in the court. Another MQM leader Saleem Shahzad and others are absconding.
The Rangers’ prosecutor said that the court had announced its ruling on merit.
He said the case was of criminal nature but some accused were trying to make it a political matter.
He added that it was expected that the accused would be indicted at the next hearing.
The prosecutor further said the case of Saleem Shahzad and other absconding accused might be separated from the cases of the under-detention accused.
Waseem Akhtar, Anis Qaimkhani, Abdul Qadir Patel and Rauf Siddiqui were arrested last month after the ATC-II had rejected their interim bail pleas on July 19 and ordered to arrest them.
In the application filed by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Abdul Qadir Patel seeking “B-class” facility in the prison, the trial court ordered him to submit necessary documents (graduation degree and tax payments) so it could announce its ruling after examining the documents.
Provocative speech cases
While hearing the provocative speech cases, an ATC issued non-bailable arrest warrants against MQM leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Rasheed Godil, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Salman Mujahid and others and fixed August 23 as the next date of hearing.
The court has issued warrants against some 20 leaders and activists of the MQM in different provocative speech cases.
The prosecution claims that the absconding MQM chief Altaf Hussain delivered provocative speeches against the security forces of Pakistan and the accused MQM leaders had made arrangements for such speeches.
Sindh Assembly opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Qamar Mansoor, Rauf Siddiqui and Waseem Akhtar are also among the accused.
Khawaja Izharul Hassan and Qamar Mansoor turned up before the court with submitting their bail applications.
Waseem Akhtar and Rauf Siddiqui, however, could not be produced in these cases as they were attending the hearing in the terrorists’ facilitation case being heard against Dr Asim Hussian and others.
In the provocative speech cases, the court expressed its displeasure over the failure of the law enforcement agencies concerned regarding the submission of the final charge sheets in around eight cases lodged in different police stations. The court issued notices to the IOs concerned in this regard.