Cross-examination of petitioner to continue at next hearing

Court records petitioner's statement against MQM members booked in cases of terrorism, vandalism & anti-state slogans

KARACHI: A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) directed on Saturday the counsels to continue cross-examination of the petitioner's statement recorded during the hearing of a plea filed against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members booked in two cases of terrorism, vandalism and anti-state slogans.

The court issued the directives while hearing the plea at Central Jail, Karachi.

During the hearing, the accused, including Farooq Sattar, Amir Khan, Shahid Pasha, Gulfaraz Khattak and others, as well as the petitioner, Inspector Abdul Ghaffar Sindho, appeared before the court.

At the hearing, counsels for the accused informed the court that over 1,500 unidentified persons have been booked in the case while more than 60 of the accused have been arrested. The counsels claimed that all of these accused were actually passersby present near the site of the incident when it took place, adding that "not even a stick being used as a weapon was found from their possession at the time of arrest."

"Leaders of MQM have dissociated themselves from hate-speech delivered by the party's founder on August 23," they maintained, adding that FIRs against the leaders booked in the cases were registered under Section 116 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which pertains to the abetment of offences punishable with imprisonment.

The court directed the counsels to continue cross-examination of the statement at the next hearing on February 1.