24 MQM-L workers held over violating Section 144 discharged

A judicial magistrate on Tuesday discharged two dozen workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London in a case lodged against them for allegedly violating Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

As many as 24 workers of the MQM-L were arrested after a large number of party activists, including women, tried to reach the Jinnah Ground on the call given by their London-based leadership to mark 'Youm-e-Shuhda' on Monday.

The investigating officer produced the detained workers before Judicial Magistrate (Central) Wajid Ali Channa and requested that they be sent to jail on judicial remand. He stated that on December 9, the Karachi commissioner imposed a ban under Section 144 of the CrPC on pillion riding of motorcycle, protests, demonstrations, rallies and assembly of more than four persons. However, the workers gathered in violation of the ban, he added.

However, defence counsel Jamal Nasir Panhwar contended that the workers had gathered to mark Youm-e-Shuhda and pleaded that they be discharged from the case. After hearing the IO and the defence counsel, the judicial magistrate observed that there was no ground for remanding the suspects in judicial or police custody. He discharged them under Section 63 of the Criminal Procedure Code subject to the submission of a Rs50,000 surety bond each. He directed the IO to submit his final investigation report within the stipulated time. An FIR was lodged against them at the Azizabad police station.