ATC frames amended charges against 7 MQM leaders in hate speech cases

Sabri killers sentenced to death for cracker attack on Imambargah in 2016

KARACHI:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) framed on Saturday amended charges against seven Muttahida Qaumi leaders, besides indicting others accused in 21 cases pertaining to the hate speech delivered by the MQM founder.

Those against whom amended charges have been framed include Waseem Akhter, Farooq Sattar, Salman Mujahid Baloch, Rehan Hashmi, Khuwaja Izharul Hassan, Rauf Siddiqi, Qamar Mansoor and

Sahid Pasha. Other accused in the case have also been issued indictment.

The ATC issued the indictments and framed amended charges after MQM leader Baloch appeared before the court at Karachi Central Jail.

Baloch hadn’t been attending the hearings of the hate speech case and appeared before the ATC on Saturday after the Sindh High Court granted him a bail.

The accused , however, denied the charges framed against them, following which the court summoned witnesses at the next hearing on January 12.

According to the police, cases against the accused were registered at Azizabad, Sachal, Brigade and other police stations in 2016.

In August that year, the MQM founder had delivered a fiery speech via telephone to a party gathering outside the Karachi Press Club after which party workers chanted anti-Pakistan slogans and then vandalised a media office nearby.

Imambargah attack

Meanwhile, ATC No16 sentenced two high profile target killers, Ishaq alias Bobby and Asim alias Capri, convicted for murder of qawwal maestro Amjad Sabri, to death in the case pertaining to attack on an Imambargah in FC Area in 2016.

The court sentenced both convicts to death twice. Both the convicts were also awarded 10 years imprisonment each for injuring civilians.

Besides, the court sentenced Ishaq and Asim to 24 years imprisonment each under the Anti-Terrorism

Act 1997 and for posession of explosives.

The convicts, who belong to banned outfit Lashkare- Jhangvi, were further directed to pay a fine of

Rs100,000 for each of the 25 citizens critically injured during the attack. In case of failure to pay the fine, the convicts would have to serve another six months of jail time, directed the court.

The total fine imposed by the court on the convicts amounts to Rs3.5 million.

According to investigation police, Ishaq and Asim carried out a cracker attack at an Imambargah in FC Area on October 17, 2016 in the limits of Sharifabad Police Station.

A minor boy, Faraz Hussain, 11, died in the attack while 30 others were injured, according to Inspector Zulfikar.

In 2018, Asim and Ishaq, who are implicated in several other murder and attack cases, were sentenced to death by a military court for the murder of Amjad Sabri.

Physical remand

Separately, an ATC sent on Saturday Pakistan Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader MNA Ali Wazir and four others accused of passing derogatory remarks against state institutions on a physical remand.

The police produced PTM leader Wazir and other accused before the court.

However, the counsel for the accused did not attend the hearing. The investigation officer sought month-long physical remand of the accused.

The court, however, sent the accused on remand until December 30.

It also directed the police to submit a progress report of the investigation of the case at the next hearing.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM DNA