Politicians under arrest

On July 19, four prominent politicians were arrested in connection with a terror facilitation case

The quagmire in which the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has been floundering in for the past several months continues to deepen. On July 19, four prominent politicians were arrested in connection with the terror facilitation case involving Dr Asim Hussain. The former petroleum minister is accused of having provided shelter and medical aid to terrorists. Dr Asim has been in custody since August, 2015 and the latest round of arrests came after an anti terrorism court rejected interim bails for the accused politicians. Of the four, Mr Waseem Akhtar of the MQM is the mayor-elect of Karachi. Arrested alongside him were Mr Rauf Siddiqui of MQM and Pak Sarzameen Party’s Mr Anis Kaimkhani. Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples’ Party’s Mr Abdul Qadir Patel left the courtroom where the remaining three were being held after denial of bail. Mr Patel then surrendered himself to the police later in the day. MQM has claimed yet again that the case against Dr Asim is bogus and is based on discriminatory treatment of ‘Mohajirs’. It also sees the arrest of Mr Waseem Akhtar as an effort to prevent his becoming mayor of Karachi. The other accused individuals have similarly denied all accusations of wrongdoing.

Whether there is truth to the allegations of discrimination, the fact remains that these arrests and denial of bail do send a message to the public and the political leaders in this country. Too often, cases against those in power have been left uninvestigated because of the clout and sometimes fear that their positions incur in the law-enforcement agencies and courts meant to hold them accountable. However, the government has made clear that there are no exceptions when it comes to terrorism. This turn of events also speaks of a power shift in Karachi where individuals and political leadership once deemed unshakeable has, within the past couple of years, suffered blows to its reputation of invincibility. It is now up to the courts to conduct free and fair trials that do not fall prey to political or ethnic prejudice while also upholding the law of the land.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2016.

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