Threatening remarks: ATC issues Altaf’s non-bailable arrest warrants

Declares him absconder after admitting a charge-sheet against him

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday admitted a charge sheet against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and ordered issuance of his non-bailable arrest warrants, which are likely to be released in the next few days.

ATC-III Judge Saleem Raza Baloch admitted the charge sheet submitted by the Sindh police in a criminal intimidation case registered on the complaint of Colonel Tahir Mehmood of Sindh Rangers.

In the FIR, Col Mehmood — who led the paramilitary force in the March 11 predawn raid at Nine Zero, the MQM headquarters in Karachi – had maintained that Altaf Hussain in a Geo News talk show threatened the officers who were part of the raiding team.

The charge sheet stated the following words of the MQM chief as tantamount to a threat to the paramilitary force: “Jin afsaran ne mere ghar par chapa mara woh Rangers ke afsaran thay, woh thay, woh ab thay hogaye [The Rangers officers, who carried out a raid at my house, they ‘were’ officials of the Rangers; they were, they have now become (things of) past].”

Nine persons, including the show’s host, his team members and others, were named as witnesses in the charge sheet. Altaf Hussain was also shown as absconder in the case and was charge-sheeted in absentia under Section 512 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The case against the MQM chief was registered at the Civil Lines police station under Section 506-B (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of Anti-terrorism Act, 1997.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 2^nd, 2015.