2016 protest case: five MQM workers remanded in custody

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday granted physical remand of five Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers in a case dating back to 2016 involving allegations of blocking a major thoroughfare and raising slogans against the state.

The suspects - Syed Hameed Pasha, Muhammad Tahseen, Muhammad Umar, Mirza Waseem and Afaq Alam - were produced before the administrative judge at the Anti-Terrorism Complex inside Karachi Central Jail by Brigade police.

The investigating officer sought remand until August 1, stating that further arrests were required and identification parades needed to be conducted. The court approved the request and directed police to produce the accused again on July 23 along with a progress report. According to the prosecution, the accused had blocked Shahrah-e-Quaideen near Mazar-e-Quaid on May 12, 2016, and allegedly raised slogans against the government and state institutions.

The case also names several senior MQM figures, including the party's founder, chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Dr Farooq Sattar, former provincial minister Rauf Siddiqui, former MNA Kunwar Naveed, former Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar, Qamar Mansoor and Mahmood Hussain, along with unidentified individuals.

Police told the court that efforts were under way to apprehend other suspects and complete the investigation.