ATC again issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Altaf Hussain

ATC-III orders police to start the process of declaring the MQM chief as a proclaimed offender

KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Saturday once again issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain in the criminal intimidation case registered on the complaint of Colonel Tahir Mehmood of Sindh Rangers.

The court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants in the past two hearings as well, asking for a report to be submitted on the case progress.

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 television talk show threatened the officers who were part of the raiding team.

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

Police in the court on Saturday submitted a report saying Altaf was residing in London, United Kingdom since 1992. Hence, the court ordered to start the process of declaring the MQM chief as a proclaimed offender under Section 87 and 88 of the Criminal Court Procedure.

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).”

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.