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Thursday March 28, 2024

IO told to ensure arrest of four absconding MQM men 

By our correspondents
October 26, 2016

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has fixed November 19 for a hearing of a trial that Amir Khan, Minhaj Qazi alias Asad and several other leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement are standing over charges they harboured terrorists, and ordered the arrest of four absconding suspects.

As Qazi, who is in judicial custody, appeared on Tuesday, the investigation officer (IO) failed to present the charge sheet against him. Qazi is also alleged to be involved in then KESC managing director Shahid Hamid, his driver and a guard on July 5, 1997 in the Defence Housing Authority.

The investigation officer said one of the accused, Shehzad Mullah, was expected to be arrested in a couple of days. At this, the court wondered if the accused was already in detention because the IO seemed very much confident that Mullah would be caught. 

The judge also inquired about the arrest of another accused, Raees Mama, saying that if he was in detention he should have appeared in custody.

The court further remarked that an accused could be expected to come to court if he was on bail before arrest, but an accused who had not yet been apprehended could not be predicted to be produced within two or three days.

The IO said efforts were being made to arrest four absconding accused. The court issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Raees Mama, Shehzad Mullah, Imran Ijaz Niazi and Naeem alias Mullah and directed the IO to arrest them and ensure they appeared on November 19.

The court has already been directed the IO to submit a supplementary charge sheet against the defendants to the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts.

Paramilitary Rangers had detained Amir Khan with dozens of other suspects for three months following their arrests during a raid in and around the party headquarters, Nine Zero, in Azizabad on March 11 last year and later (after the passage of three months) booked him for allegedly providing shelter to criminals and using them for terrorist activities.

On June 4, the Rangers handed Khan over to the police after registering a case against him and other absconding accused.

The investigation report alleged that MQM leaders admitted during questioning that Khan was in charge of the party headquarters’ security and he with Minhaj Qazi, Raees Mama, Shahzad Mullah, Imran Ijaz Niazi and Naeem alias Mullah had provided shelter to the arrested suspects and had been using them for terrorist activities in the city.

A joint investigation team had recommended the registration of a case against the MQM leader Amir Khan and others.

The case was registered under Sections 11V (directing terrorist activities), 21J (harbouring any person who committed an offence under this act) and 7 (punishment for act of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 on a complaint of Rangers Deputy Superintendent Ashraf Hussain at Azizabad Police Station.