Rauf Siddiqui’s plea for urgent bail hearing rejected

Karachi

The Sindh High Court on Friday dismissed a request for an urgent bail application hearing filed by Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leader Rauf Siddiqui in cases pertaining to harbouring terrorists and providing them with medical treatment.

Rauf Siddiqui was named as co-accused in a terrorism 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 federal petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain, a close aide of PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, is alleged to provide medical treatment to terrorists of the banned outfit, the MQM and the Lyari-based gangs. He is also accused of providing shelter to terrorists in his private hospital. 

In the FIR registered by the Sindh Rangers, Dr Asim is alleged of providing medical treatment and shelter to terrorists on instruction of MQM leaders Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, Waseem Akhtar, Anees Qaimkhani, Saleem Shahzad and PPP leader Qadir Patel.

An anti-terrorism court had rejected the bail application of Qaimkhani and other co-accused - Waseem Akhtar, Rauf Siddiqui and Qadir Patel - and sent them to prison. The anti-terrorism court had also rejected the protective bail of the MQM leader. The counsel of Siddiqui requested the court for urgent hearing of bail application, which was turned down by the court, observing that there was no urgency in the matter.