Sattar ‘ready to be booked in a thousand FIRs for highlighting public issues’

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Dr Farooq Sattar has claimed that he was recently implicated in a police case because he raised his voice to highlight problems being faced by the public.

He said this while addressing on Monday a protest outside the Karachi Press Club held against the killing of a man by a Dow University’s bus. Sattar maintained that if siding with the oppressed was a crime under the Pakistan Penal Code, he may be booked in a thousand FIRs.

The MQM-P leader said the varsity and the provincial government were responsible for the accident as it was their responsibility to ensure that the bus was fit to ply on roads. A man, Asif Sheikh, was killed by the bus in a road accident while another man, Anis, was injured and receiving treatment at a hopsital, Sattar said.

The accident occurred near the National Medical Complex on Korangi Road on October 4. It is said that the accident was caused by the failure of brakes while the driver escaped from the scene.

The MQM-P leader asked the provincial government to bear expenses for the injured’s treatment and pay compensation to the heirs of the deceased. He also demanded that the driver be arrested and presented in a court of law to face a trial. He announced that he will continue to participate in demonstrations that raise humanitarian matters.

Sattar also mentioned the schoolgirl disappearance case for which he held a demonstration with the girl’s family and was later booked by the police on charges of rioting. He said he still stood with the girl’s father who had asked how a 14-year-old girl could elope with her boyfriend, as the police claimed.

Talking about the plight of residents living in housing colonies for government employees such as Martin Quarters and FC Area, the MQM-P leader demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan ask the housing minister to resolve the issue amicably.