Rauf Siddiqui granted protective bail in speech case

Karachi
The Sindh High Court granted protective pre-arrest bail to Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader and MPA Abdul Rauf Siddiqui on Thursday who is facing conspiracy, offence against state institution and terrorism charges.
Siddiqui has been booked among other MQM leaders and office-bearers in a case by the Sukkhan police for attending a gathering of the party’s Coordination Committee in which their party’s chief, Altaf Hussain, delivered a speech against the armed forces and state institutions.
According to the FIR lodged by Mohammad Bux against Hussain, Siddiqui and other party leaders under conspiracy, offence against state institution and terrorism charges.
The complainant said he came to know that Hussain had made a speech at a Coordination Committee meeting against the armed forces and sovereignty of the country which hurt his feeling.
Siddiqui’s lawyer, Shaukat Hayat, submitted that no case was made out against his client and the FIR was registered against him just to harass him into confessing a crime he did not commit.
He apprehended the arrest of his client and said the MQM leader wanted to appear before the trial court but he could not approach it due to the deployment of police at an anti- terrorism court. He sought protective pre-arrest bail so that he could appear before the trial court.
A division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar granted protective pre-arrest bail to the MPA for a surety of Rs50,000 for 10 days. The court directed him to surrender before the trial court, and disposed of the application.