KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Monday granted interim pre-arrest bail to Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader and former Sindh minister Rauf Siddiqui in six cases registered against him for listening to a speech of party chief Altaf Hussain in which he had allegedly criticised the military establishment.

After getting protective bail from the Sindh High Court, the MQM leader appeared before the ATC-I and moved pre-arrest bail applications through his counsel Shaukat Hayat.

The applicant’s lawyer contended that his client was falsely implicated in the case with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives for the sole purpose of harassment, criminal intimidation and to pressurise him for being a leader of the MQM.

Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso observed that the contentions of the applicant’s counsel required considerations and granted interim bail in six cases against a surety bond of Rs50,000 each till Aug 15.

The court while asking the applicant to join the investigation also put the prosecutor on notice for the next date.

Meanwhile, the same court also extended the interim pre-arrest bail of MQM leader in an identical case till Aug 15.

The trial court had granted him interim bail on July 26 in the case.

According to the prosecution, seven FIRs were lodged in Karachi against MQM chief Hussain and other party leaders in which the complainants said that Mr Hussain addressed a function organised by the party leaders and the MQM coordination committee on July 12.

They added that in his speech the MQM chief had allegedly criticised the government and the country’s security officials and his slanderous remarks hurt their feelings.

The cases were registered on the complaints of Mohammad Bux, Javed Hussain, Aftab Ahmed, Syed Jameel, Jasarat Khan, Muhammad Asim and Ijaz Ali under Section 120-B (punishment for criminal conspiracy), 121(waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 122 (collection of arms, etc. with intention of waging war against Pakistan), 123-A (condemnation of the creation of state and advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and Section 25 of the Telegraph Act at Malir Cantonment, Sukkan, Quaidabad, SITE, Superhighway and Gadap police stations.

Over 100 cases have been registered across the country against Mr Hussain and other party leaders.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2015

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