MQM lawmaker granted bail in Karachi

Kamran Farooqui was taken into custody from his residence in a raid on Dec 15

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court granted on Monday bail to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmaker Kamran Farooqui in illicit weapon and explosive cases, against a total surety of Rs300,000.

MQM MPA Farooqui was taken into custody by law enforcers from his residence in North Nazimabad during a pre-dawn raid on December 15, his party claimed.

The police, however, maintained that he was arrested during routine snap-checking in Garden's Shoe Market area on December 17 last year, as an unlicensed pistol, hand grenade and stolen motorcycle were found in his possession.



The suspect had moved a bail application through his lawyer, contending that he was falsely implicated in the case, as neither was he in Garden nor did he possess any weapons or explosives or ride a motorcycle.

He said that he was picked up from his residence during a pre-dawn raid and later, a fabricated case was registered against him in order to victimise him for his political affiliation.

These two cases are registered at the Nabi Bakhsh police station under Section 23(1)a of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013, sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Substances Act, 1908, read with sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2013.



The judge, after hearing the prosecution, approved the application and ordered the suspect to submit a surety of Rs200,000 in the explosives case and Rs100,000 in the weapons case.

Police had also accused Farooqui of being involved in targeted killings of political rivals and terrorist activities in the city, particularly in the May 12, 2007 mayhem when around 50 people were killed and several others were injured.

The police also recorded the lawmaker's confessional statement before a judicial magistrate on December 20, which implicated MQM-Pakistan chief Farooq Sattar as one of the perpetrators behind the May 12 killings.



He had also admitted to his role and that of other top leaders of his party in the April 2008 Tahir Plaza incident in which a lawyer and five others were burnt to death.

MQM-Pakistan denied these allegations and asserted that the MPA's statement was taken under duress and was part of the victimisation campaign launched against the party.

Farooqui was indicted in both the cases recently and his trial has begun.