Judge refuses to grant police remand of Afaq, 10 others

By Our Correspondent

February 13, 2025

Mohajir Qaumi Movement-(MQM-Haqiqi) Chairman Afaq Ahmed (centre) is being escorted by police personnel during his appearance at an Anti-Terrorism Court in Karachi on February 12, 2025. — PPI

The Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) chairman, Afaq Ahmed, who was arrested on Tuesday on charges of instigating people to torch heavy vehicles in the city, was sent to prison on judicial remand by an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday.

Ahmed has been booked in two cases lodged at the Awami Colony and Landhi police stations. The police produced him and 10 others before the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts and sought their 14-day physical remand for interrogation.

The investigation officer said the vehicles were set on fire on the instructions of the MQM-H leader. He said he needed the custody of the suspects for interrogation and completion of legal formalities.

The defence lawyer, Javed Shatari, however, rejected the allegations levelled against Ahmed and requested the judge to release him. After hearing both sides, the judge observed: "I do not find any justification to grant remand." He sent the Haqiqi leader and 10 others to prison on judicial remand with a direction to the IO to submit an interim charge sheet within the stipulated time.

Meanwhile, the judge allowed an application filed by Ahmed seeking better class facilities in prison. In the application, he stated that he was the founder of the party and a peaceful respectable law-abiding senior citizen of Pakistan, pleading with the court to direct the jail superintendent to provide better class facilities to him in prison.

He through his counsel also moved an application seeking post-arrest bail in the two cases. The two FIRs were lodged under the sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) , 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage to amount of one hundred rupee), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 365 (kidnapping), and 337 A-i (Shajjah) read with the Section 7 (acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.