Farooq Sattar gets bail in 31 cases, Amir Khan in four

Two senior leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan, Dr Farooq Sattar and Amir Khan, were granted protective bail in multiple cases by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday. 

The court granted bail to MQM-P chief Sattar in a total of 31 cases, with orders to submit surety bonds worth Rs50,000 for each case. Similarly, senior party leader Amir Khan was granted bail in four cases.

The applications of the two MQM-P leaders were heard by a two-member bench headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar.  Granting their requests for pre-arrest bail, the bench asked both the leaders to submit surety bonds worth Rs50,000 for each case pending against them. The court also issued orders directing the two politicians to appear before the trial court in a month’s time.

Sattar was represented by Barrister Farogh Naseem and the cases include facilitation of hate speech, specifically the August 22 incendiary speech by MQM founder Altaf Hussain. 

The duo was accompanied by other party leaders including Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Advocate Mahfooz Yar Khan.

Talking to the media outside the court, Barrister Naseem urged the government to ensure that all anti-Pakistan elements face legal cases. However, he added, that similar efforts should also be made to strengthen the elements that are loyal to the state.

The MQM leadership has been facing a plethora of cases pertaining to the provocative Aug 22 speech that had led to violent protests and attacks on police and media houses.

On March 18, Sattar had been taken into police custody but released after a brief detention. The release had come about after a high-level political intervention and there were rumours that the MQM-P chief was let go after giving a written assurance to appear before the anti-terrorism court hearing cases against him.

On May 16, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the cases of provocative speech and attack on media houses issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) for arresting Altaf Hussain, Dr Farooq Sattar, Amir Khan and others.

Taking notice of the failure in arresting absconding Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leaders, including Sattar and Khan, the court said that since the investigating officer had failed to arrest them, the task was now being assigned to the Rangers.

The ATC wrote to Major General Mohammad Saeed, the provincial director general of the paramilitary force, to ensure that the absconders were arrested and produced before the court on May 31.

Sindh Assembly opposition leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan and other MQM-Pakistan leaders, including Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, Rauf Siddiqui, Qamar Mansoor and Mehmood Abdur Razzaq, have also been charged in these cases but are currently out on interim bail.