ATC issues non-bailable arrest warrant for Altaf Hussain in 'intimidation' case

MQM chief has been accused of threatening Rangers officers who were part of team that raided Nine-Zero

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC)  issued on Wednesday a non-bailable arrest warrant for Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain in a criminal intimidation case registered on the complaint of Colonel Tahir Mehmood of Sindh Rangers.

On August 1, the ATC-III had admitted a charge sheet against Altaf and ordered the issuance of a non-bailable arrest warrants for him.

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

Read: Rangers file case against MQM chief Altaf Hussain

Terming his words tantamount to a threat, the charge sheet quoted the MQM chief as saying: “Jin afsaran ne mere ghar par chapa mara woh Rangers ke afsaran thay, woh thay, woh ab thay hogaye (The officers who carried out a raid at my house were Rangers officers; they 'were', they have now become (things of the) past).”

Nine people, including the show’s host, his team members and others, were named as witnesses in the charge sheet. Altaf was also names an 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