ATC orders witness to come prepared at next hearing

Witness SHO Haider seeks time for preparation as he is assigned security duty for PSL

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) ordered on Saturday a witness in the media house attack case, registered against Farooq Sattar, Qamar Mansoor, Shahid Pasha and others, to come prepared at the next hearing.

The witness, Clifton SHO Pir Shabbir Haider appeared before the court as the prosecution's witness. The public prosecutor informed the court that Haider was posted at Saddar police station at the time of the attack. Shabbir, however, sought more time from the court to prepare for the hearing, explaining that he had been assigned security duty for the Pakistan Super League.

At this, the court ordered him to come prepared at the next hearing of the case on March 21.

Meanwhile, all the accused, except Amir Khan and Kanwar Naveed, who had filed pleas for exemption from attending the hearing on the day, appeared before the court.

Lawyers arrested for PIC attack presented in anti-terrorism court

The case was registered against the accused after Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) members stormed a media house office on August 22, 2016, ransacking the office, harassing workers and setting ablaze vehicles belonging to the media house's employees. The attack was carried out following a speech by the MQM founder. The party members later clashed with the police, leaving one dead and several others injured. According to police, MQM members threw stones at cops and shot firearms into the air.

No progress

An ATC also adjourned the hearing of 27 hate speech cases registered against the MQM founder and other party members without any progress. The hearing was held at Central Jail, Karachi. The court adjourned the hearing till March 21.

Apart from the MQM founder, Sattar, Mansoor, Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Rehan Hashmi, Javed Raheem and others have been booked in the cases. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2020.