Brief

Hearing of provocative speech cases put off till July 8

By our correspondent

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday heard two cases pertaining to the provocative speech made by MQM founder Altaf Hussain which was followed by party activists attacking media houses in Sadar area on August 22 last year. The court adjourned the hearing till July 8.  Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar and Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar attended the hearing along with other party workers who are accused of facilitating the MQM founder whose speech led to violence and attacks on some media houses. Sattar and Akhtar were granted bail by the court concerned in the two cases registered with the Soharab Goth police.  Hundreds of MQM workers are accused in dozens of similar cases and most of them have been granted bail. Qamar Mansoor Shahid Pasha, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Rauf Siddiqui and others are accused of hearing the provocative speech that led to violence.  

 

Human traffickers posing as govt officials arrested

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday arrested two proclaimed offenders who were involved in human trafficking by posing as officers of the prime minister’s secretariat or security agencies. The arrests, as per officials, were led by the FIA’s Anti-Human Smuggling Cell and the two accused were identified as Raja Zafar Abbas and Raja Mazhar Abbas. It was said that Zafar and Mazhar would dupe people on the pretext of helping them travel abroad and had looted hundreds of thousands of rupees from multiple victims.  FIA officials said the accused would introduce themselves as either officers of security agencies or the PM’s secretariat. Cases have been registered against the two men and their remand had been obtained, said the officials.

 

KMC budget on June 19

By our correspondent

Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar will present the Karachi Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) budget for the fiscal year 2017-18 during a City Council session on June 19.  Later, the City Council will hold a meeting and approve the Rs25 billion surplus budget.