PTM leaders chargesheeted in sedition case

Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) chief Manzoor Pashteen, parliamentarians Mohsin Dawar and Ali Wazir along with nine other members of the movement have been chargesheeted by police for sedition and provocation against the state during a rally in Karachi.

Admitting the charge sheet, the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts (ATC) tasked the ATC-XII for the disposal of the matter. The PTM leadership and activists were booked in a case registered at the Sohrab Goth police station after their public gathering in the area on December 9.

According to the prosecution, the suspects addressed a public gathering of around 2,000 participants in which they tried to create hatred towards different groups and to deteriorate the law and order situation. It added that they also used derogatory language against police, Rangers, army and other state institutions.

Police had arrested PTM lawmaker Ali Wazir in Peshawar in connection with the case on a request of the Sindh police and moved him to Karachi to face the trial. Currently, Wazir along with Noorullah Tareen, Sher Ayub Khan, Ahsanullah, Basirullah and Muhammad Sher Khan is in custody.

On Thursday, the investigating officer filed an investigation report stating that in the purview of the investigation, witnesses statements and video footage of the rally, the case was registered under Sections 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable under Section 121), 124-A (sedition), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The IO added that six suspects who were at large, including PTM chief Manzoor Pashteen, MNA Dawar, Muhammad Tahir, Hidayatullah Pashteen, Javed Raheem and Muhammad Shafi, had also been chargesheeted for committing the same offences.

He mentioned 10 other suspects as well, including Abdullah Nakiyal, Malik Majeed Kakar, Muhammad Ullah Mehsud, Sualen Jan, Gul-e-Man Pashtun, Sana Alam, Mullah Behram, Ibrahim and Adil Shah, in the charge sheet and stated that a supplementary charge sheet would be filed against them once their whereabouts were ascertained.