Malir police given four days to interrogate city’s mayor-elect

ATC administrative judge declines SSP Rao Anwaar’s request for 14-day remand

Karachi 

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) mayor-elect, Waseem Akhter, was handed over to the Malir police on a four-day physical remand by the administrative judge of an anti-terrorism court (ATC), on Thursday.

Denying SSP Rao Anwaar - a cop known for having bad blood with the MQM  - a 14-day remand request , the court allowed the police to keep him till July 25.

Brought to the court in handcuffs, Akhter requested the court to permit him to speak, however, the judge denied his request, adding, that if he spoke his counsel would not be permitted to represent him.

The court was informed that Akhter had not obtained bail in two cases lodged against him at the Sachal and Malir police station, which was why he needed to be interrogated.

Facing charges of sedition for facilitating party chief Altaf Hussain to deliver alleged provocative speeches, the SSP stated that although he had denied the charges Akhter still needed to be interrogated.

Two videos of the party chief’s speeches were also shown to the court as evidence.

Akhter had himself claimed that his life was under danger since he was brought to the court on Wednesday but was not produced in it. He had further maintained that if it was imperative to grant his physical remand, it should be no longer than a day. 

His counsel referred to SSP Anwaar’s alleged notoriety for committing unlawful acts, argued that investigation against Akhter had been completed and that he should be sent to the central prison on a judicial remand instead of being handed over to the investigators. 

The court rejected his attorney’s request to have a separate meeting with him and adjourned the hearing.

Following the hearing MQM leader Arshad Vohra and Akhter’s family members met with him inside the court premises. 

Akhter and other co-accused’ bail pleas were turned down by an ATC by an ATC on Tuesday. He along with three other leaders, Rauf Siddiqui, Anis Qaimkhani and Abdul Qadir Patel were ordered to be arrested in a case pertaining to providing shelter and medical aid to criminals at Dr Asim Hussain’s private hospital; the other three were sent to the central prison till August 3.

However, Akhter’s custody was later on Wednesday given to SSP Malir Rao Anwaar. The SSP in a press conference informed the media that he would himself interrogate Akhter since he wanted to know on whose instructions had he been delivering ‘provocative’ and ‘inflammatory’ speeches.