Pakistan

ATC hands over MQM's Qamar Mansoor to Rangers on 90-day remand

MQM worker Umair Siddiqui also sent on jail custody till July 29 on judicial remand

Zubair Ashraf July 22, 2015

Rangers personnel taking MQM leader Qamar Mansoor back after presenting him before an Anti Terrorism Court on Wednesday. PHOTO: ONLINE

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday handed over Qamar Mansoor, a senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader and member of the party’s Rabita Committee, to Rangers on a 90-day remand.

Rangers had requested the ATC to hand over Mansoor for 90-day remand as the security institution wanted to investigate into cases relating to hate speeches against him, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Read: MQM leader Qamar Mansoor sent on transit remand

The court while handing over the senior MQM leader to Rangers asked the authorities to present his medical report in the court by July 27.

Meanwhile, ATC-I judge while approving the prosecution plea sent MQM worker Umair Hussain Siddiqui to jail custody on judicial remand in two separate cases. However, the court ordered the investigators to produce the suspect in the court on July 29.

In one of the cases registered in the Mobina Town police station against Siddiqui, he is accused of killing a Rangers’ Lance Naik Shaukat and injuring another in a targeted attack. In another case, Siddiwui is accused of killing a man named Hussain Gabol over political enmity.

Earlier, a court in Karachi on Monday had sent MQM leader Qamar Mansoor into Rangers custody on transit remand.

Mansoor had been arrested along with fellow Rabita Committee member Kaiful Wara in a pre-dawn raid on the party’s Nine Zero headquarters last week on charges of ‘arranging and facilitating’ hate speeches against the people of Karachi.

Read: MQM worker identified as main shooter in Rangers’ murder case

Kaiful Wara was later released on the assurance that he would report to the Rangers after Eid. Presenting Mansoor in the court of the Judicial Magistrate Central today, Rangers officials had requested for transit remand of the suspect. The court approved the request and remanded the MQM leader into Rangers custody.

Rangers officials had said a case was lodged against the MQM Rabita Committee member under anti-terrorism laws and he would be presented before an ATC after Eid holidays to obtain a 90-day remand.

COMMENTS (1)

S.R.H. Hashmi | 9 years ago | Reply Relating to the case of Qamar Mansoor, described as a senior MQM leader and a member of the party’s Rabita Committee, the details given in the report bring the following points to mind: 1- At the time of being produced before the ATC judge, Qamar Mansoor had already been in Rangers’ custody for a few days. As such, the Rangers’ should have been asked to produce some evidence against him to justify a long, 90-day remand. 2- The judges do not always agree to the length of the remand requested by Rangers and reduce the length of the remand when they are not satisfied with the request. It appears that in this case the remand was granted as requested by the Rangers, with no questions asked, and no points considered. 3- The charge against the accused - ‘Arranging and facilitating’ hate speeches against the people of Karachi’ - is of a type which can not be substantiated by Rangers or other law enforcers through their usual investigative techniques which normally comprise torture and harassment. So what has the long remand being given for? 4- Since by its very nature, the accuracy of charge can perhaps only be determined by the courts, the time the accused had remained in Rangers custody should have been considered adequate and the Rangers asked to prove the charges in the court of law. 5- The charge of ‘arranging and facilitating hate speeches against the people of Karachi’ as leveled against Qamar Mansoor – specially the word arranging - creates an impression that somehow Qamar Mansoor was in a position to exercise considerable influence on Altaf Hussain, and using this influence, he instigated Altaf Hussain to make what is seen by the Rangers as a hate speech against the people of Karachi. Now, can anyone with a sound mind think even for a moment that any MQM member could be in a position to put words into Altaf Hussain’s mouth? 6- The court has asked the Rangers to produce the medical report of Qamar Mansoor before it by the 27th of July. Have Rangers been asked to produce Qamar Mansoor before the court along with his medical so as to ascertain from him that the report is complete and authentic? And what arrangements the court has made to ensure that the accused is not tortured/harassed between the time medical report is produced, and the end of the ninety-day remand period? MQM leader Waseem Akhtar often complains about torture of MQM members during detention. The list is by no means exhaustive. Karachi

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