Karachi
The Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to the Sindh prosecutor general and the Sindh advocate general on bail application of Pak Sarzameen Party leader Anis Qaimkhani in a case pertaining to charges of harbouring terrorists and providing them with medical care.
Anis Qaimkhani, who had disassociated himself from the Muttahida Quami Movement and joined Syed Mustafa Kamal-led Pak Sarzameen Party, was named as co-accused in a case registered at the North Nazimabad police station against former federal minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Dr Asim Hussain.
According to the prosecution, former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain, also a close aide of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, had provided medical treatment and shelter to terrorists of banned outfits, MQM and Lyari gangs in his private hospital.
The FIR of the case registered by the Sindh Rangers alleged that Dr Asim provided medical treatment and shelter to terrorists on the instruction of MQM leaders Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, Waseem Akhtar, Saleem Shahzad, PSP leader Anees Qaimkhani and PPP leader Qadir Patel.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) had rejected the bail application of PSP leader Anis Qaimkhani and other co-accused, including Waseem Akhtar, Rauf Siddiqui and Qadir Patel, and sent them to prison.
The applicant, who returned to the country on March 3, submitted that he was out of Pakistan when the case was registered and as soon he came to know about the proceedings, he approached the court for obtaining pre-arrest bail and surrendered before the trial court.
Qaimkhani’s counsel Mohammad Farooq submitted that the applicant was implicated in the case on the basis of a statement given by the accused, which, according to the counsel, had no value in the eyes of law.
Requesting the court to approve the bail plea of Qaimkhani, the lawyer submitted that a joint investigation team’s report had no legal value and there were no specific allegations filed against his client.
The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Abdul Rasool Memon, issued notices to the Sindh prosecutor general and others and called their comments on August 12.
Red zone violation case
A court on Monday extended the interim bail of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders Waseem Akhtar and Khawaja Izharul Hassan till August 20, who are standing trial for entering the security red zone after removing barriers from outside the Chief Minister House in July.
Akhtar, the MQM’s nominee for Karachi’s mayoral slot who is in jail over separate charges of arranging medical treatment for alleged criminals, and Hassan, the opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, have been named, as have Dr Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, a case registered at Civil Lines Police Station.
The FIR, lodged on behalf of the Sindh government, has accused the MQM leaders of interfering in government matters, disturbing peace and giving serious threats.
During Monday’s proceedings, the judicial magistrate (south) accepted the pleas of Akhtar and Hassan and extended their interim bail till August 20.
The judge noted that Akthar had not appeared, and ordered that he attend the next hearing.
Speaking to journalists informally outside the courtroom, Hassan said there was no ground for registering any cases, as they had only raised the issue of the persisting water crisis in Karachi.
He stated that the provincial government was duty-bound to fulfil its responsibilities to overcome the water shortage.
When the issue was raised, cases were registered instead, the Muttahida leader said, adding that it was astonishing that on the one hand a “drama of negotiations” was staged by the provincial government, and on the other it lodged cases unfairly.