Terrorists’ facilitation case: Rauf Siddiqui ‘withdraws’ bail application

Co-accused’s application was dismissed by SHC

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) dismissed on Tuesday the bail application filed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Rauf Siddiqui in the terrorists’ treatment case as the latter withdrew the same.

Headed by Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh, the division bench allowed the MQM leader to approach the anti-terrorism court (ATC) to seek relief.

Karachi’s ATC-II had cancelled the interim pre-arrest bails obtained by Siddiqui and other political leaders who are co-accused in the case.

Siddiqui is facing charges of asking Dr Asim Hussain to treat militants belonging to the MQM at his Ziauddin hospitals.

Filing an application from the jail through Advocate Shaukat Hayat, Siddiqui had challenged the ATC’s cancellation of his bail.

He had pleaded to set-aside the trial court’s order. It was also requested to grant post-arrest bail to the applicant.

On Tuesday, Hayat informed the two-judges that his client wanted to approach the relevant trial court for grant of bail, as the high court had already dismissed the bail application of one of the co-accused, Anis Kaimkhani. Therefore, he pleaded the court to allow him to withdraw the bail application.

Allowing the request, the bench dismissed the bail plea ‘as withdrawn’ by the lawyer for the applicant.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 27^th, 2016.