ATC rejects ‘incomplete’ charge sheet against MQM-P MPA

Directs IO to clarify all facts relating to Kamran Farooqui’s illegal arms case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) rejected the charge sheet against a Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader on Wednesday because it was “incomplete”.

The ATC administrative judge directed the investigating officer to resubmit the charge sheet against MQM-P Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Kamran Farooqui after updating and completing it. The state counsel had earlier argued that the charge sheet was unclear and mentioned incomplete facts.

Farooqui has been nominated in several cases, including one pertaining to possession of illegal arms and explosive materials, which was registered at the Nabi Bakhsh police station. He was also booked for murders and violence perpetrated on May 12, 2007. He is on judicial remand on the orders of the administrative judge.

In his confessional statement he had claimed that a plan to create unrest in Karachi on May 12, 2007 was chalked out at the MQM headquarters Nine Zero. He said the party’s Dr Farooq Sattar, Hammad Siddiqui, Ejaz Shah, Abid alias Chairman and Farhan Shabbir were among those who had attended the meeting.

Farooqui said the meeting had decided on murders of random citizens, and party workers were directed to shut down the city to stop lawyers from reaching the Karachi airport to receive the then deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

He also told the court that the party had set Tahir Plaza (a building near the city courts) on fire on April 9, 2008, in which six lawyers were killed, to “send a message” to Advocate Naeem Qureshi (now president of the Karachi Bar Association) for supporting Chaudhry.

He added that the MQM Lyari Sector was granted Rs3.5 million to buy weapons between 2008 and 2009. He also claimed that on the directives of the top MQM leadership, party cadres were allotted plots using the “China cutting” technique.

He accused the MQM of murdering dozens of political opponents, adding that his party activists had killed Awami National Party and MQM-Haqiqi activists as well as Lyari-based gangsters and dumped their bodies packed in gunny bags.

The administrative judge had already accepted the plea for Farooqui’s remand. He was produced before an ATC over charges of possessing illegal weapons and explosive materials. However, he later confessed to killing many people and being involved in other crimes.

When Farooqui appeared before the ATC, he told journalists outside the court that he was facing some allegations in connection with the May 12 mayhem.

The court was informed that a case against the accused was registered at the Nabi Bakhsh police station on the complaint of a Rangers inspector. The Rangers prosecutor told the court that the accused had confessed to his involvement in several high-profile murder cases.

The administrative judge now rejected the charge sheet and gave it back to the IO, directing him to complete the charge sheet and submit it again.