Mashhadi acquitted in MQM chief’s controversial speech case

Karachi
An anti-terrorism court on Friday acquitted Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Senator Colonel (Retd) Tahir Hussain Mashhadi on charges of organising and supporting a controversial speech of the party chief.
The MQM chief, along with another senior party leader Haider Abbas Rizvi, had already been declared absconders in the case.
Mashhadi had on August 5 obtained protective bail from the Sindh High Court (SHC) after submitting a sum of Rs100,000 as surety bond.
The accused claimed he was implicated in a false case. The case was fought by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) former senior lawyer Farooq H Naek.
On August 8, ATC-, headed by Bashir Ahmed Khoso, Mashhadi approached the court pleading he feared to be arrested as there were other cases lodged against him and prayed for being given a pre-arrest bail.
The court was told that the case registered against the MQM leader at the New Town police station had alleged that he had listened to a speech of MQM chief, in which the latter had uttered remarks against the military establishment and other national security agencies.
He was alleged to have clapped at the gathering, showing his support to the party chief.
Naek had argued that his client had neither attended the gathering nor had he listened to the speech, arguing that he was also not a member of the MQM’s coordination committee.
More than 100 cases were registered against the MQM chief under various clauses of the Pakistan Penal Code and sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 for his alleged remarks in his speeches.

Pasban leader's son
The son of Usman Moazzam, the under-detention leader of Pasban Pakistan, was sent to police custody on a 14-day remand by an anti-terrorism court on Friday along with another accused.
Moazzam’s son, Muhammad Siddique, was presented with another accused, Ubaidullah, before Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, the administrative judge to anti-terrorism courts (ATCs), for his alleged involvement in terrorist activities.
The court was informed both accused were members of a banned outfit and were caught while being in possession of 25 kilogrammes of explosive material and illegal weapons.
The court also told that the accused were also involved in a police encounter.
The case against both accused was registered at Gulberg police station under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 read with 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act.
The accused had earlier been in the custody of Rangers under preventive 90-day detention and had been handed over to the police on November 27 after the detention period expired.
Meanwhile, Usman Moazzam has been handed over to the Samanabad police after the completion of his 90-day preventive detention, according to the Rangers spokesperson.
He had been picked up with his son Muhammad Siddique from their house during an alleged raid at their residence on July 20. The Rangers had denied the raid but had later produced both in court asking for 90-day preventive detention.
Moazzam’s family had claimed that around two dozen Rangers troopers had barged into their house and arrested the two accused.