Dr Zafar Arif is finally out

Authorities took more than one week to verify surety submitted by retired professor

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - London leader Dr Hasan Zafar Arif, incarcerated in a case pertaining to an alleged hate speech of his party founder, was finally released on Tuesday, 12 days after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted him bail.

The ATC-I issued on Tuesday the release order for Dr Arif, incarcerated in a case pertaining to an alleged hate speech of his party founder. One of his lawyers, Sarwat Israr, confirmed that he had been released.

The ATC-I had granted him and another jailed leader of the party, Amjadullah Khan, bail in the case against a surety of Rs100,000 for each of them on April 7. Khan was released on April 12. However, the authorities took more than a week to verify the surety submitted by Dr Arif.

The court directed the Central Jail superintendent to release the retired professor, who is over 70 years in age, if not required in any other case.



Dr Arif and other leaders of MQM-London and MQM-Pakistan, either absconding or already on bail, have been booked for allegedly facilitating and listening to a controversial speech of Altaf Hussain in which he reportedly criticised the military establishment and asked his workers to extort money from traders.

Dr Arif and Khan were arrested in the present case on December 20, shortly after they were released from the prison after two months of detention under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance.

Initially, they were picked up on October 22 from outside the Karachi Press Club when they were there to address a press conference about the restructuring of MQM-London post the August 22 split.



The case was registered under Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups etc.) 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulating its religion or religious beliefs), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt), 500 (punishment for defamation), 505 (statement conducing to public mischief) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860, read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, at the Azizabad police station.

MQM-London leader Sathi Ishaq and two MQM-Pakistan leaders Qamar Mansoor and Mehfooz Yar Khan are on pre-arrest bail in the said case. Meanwhile, the MQM founder, MQM-Pakistan chief Dr Farooq Sattar and some others are absconding.