MQM’s Minhaj Qazi submits plea bargain application

A Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist and former security in-charge of the party’s headquarters, Minhaj Qazi, on Tuesday moved an application before an accountability court (AC) offering to return all the money he is accused of accumulating through corrupt practices.

Qazi and co-accused Shoaib, Naeem, Sohail Ilyas and others are alleged to have committed fraud of more than Rs320million through illegal land allotments under a practice colloquially known as ‘China cutting’.

A prosecution witness had already recorded his statement confirming that Qazi and others had committed fraud and collected huge sums by allotting lands to people under the ‘China cutting’ scheme.

The judge, after receiving Qazi’s plea bargain application, fixed August 2 as the next date of hearing. Qazi has also been indicted in the murder of the then managing director of the defunct Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), Shahid Hamid. He had pleaded not guilty to the charge.   

Zahra Shahid murder

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) adjourned till August 12 the hearing in the murder case of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahra Shahid, as the case investigation officer failed to turn up for the hearing.

The court expressed displeasure over the IO’s failure to appear along with the prosecution witnesses and issued directives to the officer to ensure his presence at the next hearing along with the prosecution witnesses. 

Rashid alias Tailor, Zahid Abbas Zaidi, Irfan alias Lamba and Kaleem are on trial for the murder of PTI’s Zahra Shahid who was shot dead outside her DHA residence in May 2013. 

Foreigners Act

On the directives of the SHO of the City Courts police station, a case was lodged against a 70-year-old man Muhammad Siraj son of Muhammad Ali for violation of provisions of the Foreigners Act.

According to SHO Azeem Beg, Siraj had himself told the police that he was a Bangladeshi citizen and was residing in Karachi from the past 50 years. When the SHO asked Siraj to present any documents as proof of being a Pakistan national, he had nothing to show. 

The SHO then ordered to register a case (No 95 of 2017) against Siraj and he was arrested for violations of the Foreigners Act.  The SHO maintained that Siraj was arrested in line with the National Action Plan.  The accused told the police that he had never been questioned about his citizenship status over the past 50 years of his life in Pakistan.