Warrant out for Clifton SHO over no-show at hearing

An anti-terrorism court on Saturday issued a bailable arrest warrant against a station house officer over his failure to appear during the hearing of cases pertaining to anti-state and hate speeches by leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and London.

The ATC ordered the investigation officer of the case to present the SHO, who is a prosecution witness against the accused MQM leaders, at the next hearing on October 12.

According to the prosecution, the then chief of the MQM, Altaf Hussain, who has been living in self-exile in London for almost three decades now, uttered controversial remarks about the country and allegedly incited his party workers to resort to violence during his speech on August 22, 2016.

His party was staging a demonstration against a ban on his media appearance.

One person was killed, several were injured, and police mobile and motorcycle were set on fire allegedly by charged protesters.

Soon after these violent incidents, a crackdown was launched by the authorities against the party, which culminated in the party splitting in two more factions of the MQM-Pakistan and MQM-London, which is a pro-Altaf Hussain faction and apparently faces a blanket ban on its activities.

MQM-P senior deputy convener Amir Khan, Organisation Restoration Committee chief Farooq Sattar, MQM’s former spokesperson Qamar Mansoor, former MPA Shahid Pasha, MQM’s former deputy convener Shahid Pasha and MQM-P’s legal wing leader Gulfaraz Khattak and other leaders are booked for abetting the speech and violence.

The cases were registered at different police stations in the city under sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 324, 302, 435, 436, 337, 123A, 124A, 109, 114, 427, 506B and 395 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Hussain has been declared proclaimed offender in the case.