Inflammatory speech: ATC allows proclamation proceedings against Altaf Hussain

Police tells court they can’t arrest the MQM founder since he has fled Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Legal troubles for Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain are likely to compound after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) allowed police to start proclamation proceedings against him.

Islamabad Police had filed the application on Wednesday pertaining to Altaf’s seditious, provocative and anti-Pakistan speech to party workers outside the Karachi Press Club in 2015.

ATC-II judge Sohail Ikram, being the duty judge, allowed the application from the SHO of Secretariat police station who informed the court that the MQM chief could not be arrested in the case despite obtaining arrest warrants against him.

With the court’s permission, the police will now initiate proceedings under section 87 (proclamation for person absconding) of the Criminal Procedure Code against Altaf since he had so far failed to appear before the court in the case.

A police report submitted before the court in the cases states that the suspect – Altaf – had absconded to England fearing his arrest.

On July 14, 2015, Muhammad Tahir Ali Nawazish had approached the Secretariat police station to file an FIR against Altaf a day after watching the MQM founder deliver a diatribe against military establishment, and raise anti-Pakistan slogans while addressing his supporters via telephone in Karachi.

Subsequently, Altaf was booked under sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war), 124-A (sedition), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot if rioting be committed; if not committed) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

Altaf, who moved to London in 1992 when since a military operation was launched against his party, remains highly influential in urban Sindh. Following the inflammatory speech, Altaf had apologised to the then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif and Director General (DG) Rangers Maj-Gen Bilal Akber.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2016.