Terrorism facilitation case: Rauf Siddiqui, Anis Kaimkhani released from jail
Earlier, SHC granted them bail against a surety of Rs50,000 each.
PSP’s ‘Welcome Rally’ passes through Sharae Faisal to honour and celebrate the release of party president Anis Kaimkhani (above). MQM-Pakistan also congratulates party leader Rauf Siddiqui after his release from Central Jail. PHOTO: MOHAMMAD SAQIB/EXPRESS
KARACHI:
Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) president Anis Kaimkhani and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui were released from jail on Wednesday, after the Sindh High Court (SHC) granted them bail in a terror facilitation case a day ago.
MQM MPA Siddiqui and PSP president Kaimkhani were sent to jail on July 19 by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) for their alleged role in former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain's terror facilitation case. Both the leaders were received by their comrades upon their release from jail and were later taken to their respective party headquarters.
Siddiqui went to the MQM-Pakistan makeshift headquarters in PIB Colony and, after receiving a warm welcome from his party leaders and workers, addressed a press conference there. He was flanked by his party's top leaders, Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
He said that the MQM-Pakistan was a patriotic political party and its leaders and workers should not be deemed as anti-state elements. "We will shed the last drop of our blood to safeguard the sovereignty of this country," he said. Siddiqui demanded that those workers of his party who were innocent and were implicated in false cases should be released from the jail. He also hoped that Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar will be free soon to look after the affairs of the city.
Meanwhile, similar scenes were observed at the PSP headquarters in Nursery where Kaimkhani met his party leaders and workers after his release. The PSP leader said that he took pride in going to jail for the sake of truth and rights. He added that he will continue his struggle with party chief Mustafa Kamal, no matter how difficult the course will be.
Ban on travelling abroad
Earlier in the day, an ATC directed the jail authorities to release Kaimkhani and Siddiqui. However, while restraining them from leaving the country for the time being, the judges had ordered them to deposit their passports with the court.
A day earlier, the SHC had granted bail to Dr Asim, the PSP president, the MQM lawmaker and Usman Moazzam of Pasban-e-Pakistan against a surety of Rs50,000 each. Judicial officials said Kaimkhani and Siddiqui furnished the sureties and deposited their passports through their lawyers on Wednesday. Therefore, the ATC-II judge issued their release orders, directing the jail superintendent to set them free if not required in any other case.
The same court also issued a notice to the prosecutor on bail applications filed by Karachi Mayor Akhtar and PPP leader Qadir Patel, who were nominated in the same case.
Both the leaders, through their lawyers, moved bail applications and the court fixed them for hearing on November 5.
According to court officials, Dr Asim and Moazzam had not yet deposited the sureties as their custody is still required in some other cases.
Meanwhile, to seek his release, Dr Asim has yet to receive bail in two references that he faces before the accountability court. The first reference pertains to alleged corruption of over Rs460 billion, while in the second reference, Dr Asim and others have been charge-sheeted for allegedly misusing their authority and fraudulently awarding contracts of five gas fields to privately managed gas processing company, Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited, which had caused an alleged loss of Rs17.338 billion to the national exchequer.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2016.
Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) president Anis Kaimkhani and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui were released from jail on Wednesday, after the Sindh High Court (SHC) granted them bail in a terror facilitation case a day ago.
MQM MPA Siddiqui and PSP president Kaimkhani were sent to jail on July 19 by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) for their alleged role in former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain's terror facilitation case. Both the leaders were received by their comrades upon their release from jail and were later taken to their respective party headquarters.
Siddiqui went to the MQM-Pakistan makeshift headquarters in PIB Colony and, after receiving a warm welcome from his party leaders and workers, addressed a press conference there. He was flanked by his party's top leaders, Farooq Sattar and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui.
He said that the MQM-Pakistan was a patriotic political party and its leaders and workers should not be deemed as anti-state elements. "We will shed the last drop of our blood to safeguard the sovereignty of this country," he said. Siddiqui demanded that those workers of his party who were innocent and were implicated in false cases should be released from the jail. He also hoped that Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar will be free soon to look after the affairs of the city.
Meanwhile, similar scenes were observed at the PSP headquarters in Nursery where Kaimkhani met his party leaders and workers after his release. The PSP leader said that he took pride in going to jail for the sake of truth and rights. He added that he will continue his struggle with party chief Mustafa Kamal, no matter how difficult the course will be.
Ban on travelling abroad
Earlier in the day, an ATC directed the jail authorities to release Kaimkhani and Siddiqui. However, while restraining them from leaving the country for the time being, the judges had ordered them to deposit their passports with the court.
A day earlier, the SHC had granted bail to Dr Asim, the PSP president, the MQM lawmaker and Usman Moazzam of Pasban-e-Pakistan against a surety of Rs50,000 each. Judicial officials said Kaimkhani and Siddiqui furnished the sureties and deposited their passports through their lawyers on Wednesday. Therefore, the ATC-II judge issued their release orders, directing the jail superintendent to set them free if not required in any other case.
The same court also issued a notice to the prosecutor on bail applications filed by Karachi Mayor Akhtar and PPP leader Qadir Patel, who were nominated in the same case.
Both the leaders, through their lawyers, moved bail applications and the court fixed them for hearing on November 5.
According to court officials, Dr Asim and Moazzam had not yet deposited the sureties as their custody is still required in some other cases.
Meanwhile, to seek his release, Dr Asim has yet to receive bail in two references that he faces before the accountability court. The first reference pertains to alleged corruption of over Rs460 billion, while in the second reference, Dr Asim and others have been charge-sheeted for allegedly misusing their authority and fraudulently awarding contracts of five gas fields to privately managed gas processing company, Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited, which had caused an alleged loss of Rs17.338 billion to the national exchequer.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2016.