Aug 22 violence: Three MQM women workers get bail in rioting case
Party's two senior jailed leaders get better facilities
Policemen chase activists from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) politicial party during a clash in Karachi on August 22, 2016. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted on Saturday bail to three women workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) who were arrested on the charges of rioting and sedition.
The ATC-VIII judge approved the bail plea of Quratul Ain, Rabia and Sumera against surety bonds of Rs100,000 each for both cases they were implicated in. Thus the suspects have to submit surety of Rs200,000 each to secure release.
Meanwhile, the judge also approved B-class (better facilities) for two jailed leaders of the party, MNA Kanwar Naveed Jameel and Shahid Pasha, after examining their tax returns and educational certificates.
A similar petition of another leader, Qamar Mansoor, could not be heard as it was filed late. All three are part of MQM-Pakistan's Central Coordination Committee; Jameel and Pasha are deputy conveners while Mansoor is a member.
The MQM leaders and workers, the number of which has now exceeded 40, were arrested following the August 22 attack on media houses in which one person was killed, seven were wounded and a motorcycle and a police mobile were torched.
The riots erupted after the MQM founding chief Altaf Hussain, who has now been sidelined by the party's Pakistan leadership led by senior deputy convener Farooq Sattar, in a telephonic speech from London chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and spoke against the sovereignty of the country. He is also alleged to have incited his workers to attack media houses.
Filing the bail plea for the three women, their counsel argued that his clients were neither involved in the riots and nor did they chant the controversial slogans. The lawyer said that keeping his clients in jail was tantamount to disgracing them as they had not done anything wrong and were falsely implicated in the case.
Opposing the bail plea, the prosecutor argued that the police had sufficient material as evidence against the women. He cited CCTV footage of the incident and asserted that the women were seen chanting slogans and vandalising public and private properties.
The judge after hearing arguments ordered that the women should be released on bail and observed that they are not allowed to leave the country during the trial.
Over the B-class application for two leaders, the judge also approved it and ordered the jail authorities to provide them better facilities after receiving their tax returns, educational certificates and other necessary documents.
10 more workers remanded
The ATCs' administrative judge remanded 10 more workers of the MQM to jail on judicial remand. The workers, identified as Waleed, Rashid, Hassan Alam, Mohsin, Navid, Adeel, Asif, Masroor, Javed and Shaukat, were presented before the administrative judge at the expiry of their first physical remand.
The investigating officer told the judge that the suspects were taken into custody on a lead given by other imprisoned suspects and with the help of CCTV footage of the incident. The judge also sought a charge sheet against them within two weeks for further proceedings.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2016.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted on Saturday bail to three women workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) who were arrested on the charges of rioting and sedition.
The ATC-VIII judge approved the bail plea of Quratul Ain, Rabia and Sumera against surety bonds of Rs100,000 each for both cases they were implicated in. Thus the suspects have to submit surety of Rs200,000 each to secure release.
Meanwhile, the judge also approved B-class (better facilities) for two jailed leaders of the party, MNA Kanwar Naveed Jameel and Shahid Pasha, after examining their tax returns and educational certificates.
A similar petition of another leader, Qamar Mansoor, could not be heard as it was filed late. All three are part of MQM-Pakistan's Central Coordination Committee; Jameel and Pasha are deputy conveners while Mansoor is a member.
The MQM leaders and workers, the number of which has now exceeded 40, were arrested following the August 22 attack on media houses in which one person was killed, seven were wounded and a motorcycle and a police mobile were torched.
The riots erupted after the MQM founding chief Altaf Hussain, who has now been sidelined by the party's Pakistan leadership led by senior deputy convener Farooq Sattar, in a telephonic speech from London chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and spoke against the sovereignty of the country. He is also alleged to have incited his workers to attack media houses.
Filing the bail plea for the three women, their counsel argued that his clients were neither involved in the riots and nor did they chant the controversial slogans. The lawyer said that keeping his clients in jail was tantamount to disgracing them as they had not done anything wrong and were falsely implicated in the case.
Opposing the bail plea, the prosecutor argued that the police had sufficient material as evidence against the women. He cited CCTV footage of the incident and asserted that the women were seen chanting slogans and vandalising public and private properties.
The judge after hearing arguments ordered that the women should be released on bail and observed that they are not allowed to leave the country during the trial.
Over the B-class application for two leaders, the judge also approved it and ordered the jail authorities to provide them better facilities after receiving their tax returns, educational certificates and other necessary documents.
10 more workers remanded
The ATCs' administrative judge remanded 10 more workers of the MQM to jail on judicial remand. The workers, identified as Waleed, Rashid, Hassan Alam, Mohsin, Navid, Adeel, Asif, Masroor, Javed and Shaukat, were presented before the administrative judge at the expiry of their first physical remand.
The investigating officer told the judge that the suspects were taken into custody on a lead given by other imprisoned suspects and with the help of CCTV footage of the incident. The judge also sought a charge sheet against them within two weeks for further proceedings.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 4th, 2016.