Allegations: Plea seeking ban on MQM dismissed

LAHORE:

Justice Shahid Waheed of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday dismissed a petition seeking directions to ban the Mutthahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) as a political party.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Youth Wing leader Ali Javed Dogar had filed the petition submitting that former Karachi mayor Mustafa Kamal and Anis Qaimkhani had claimed that the MQM had links with RAW and it had been complicit in anti-state activities.

He said that under Section 15 of the Political Parties Registration, a party involved in such activities could not be registered. He said that the federal government could send a reference to the Election Commission of Pakistan for cancelling registration of a party. He said the commission could cancel the MQM’s registration on its own. He said the government should be directed to send a reference against the MQM. He said the ECP should be directed to suspend the MQM’s registration.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2016.