Wasim Akhtar goes to court against terror, sedition cases

The cases were registered on charges of sedition and terrorism

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the federal and provincial law officers on a petition filed by a Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) senior leader, seeking the court's directive to quash the cases under sedition and terrorism charges against him for supporting Altaf Hussain's speech against the army.

Headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, the bench directed the deputy attorney general, the advocate general and the prosecutor general to file comments by December 8. Wasim Akhtar had approached the high court, seeking the annulment of two FIRs registered against him in Karachi under sedition and terrorism charges. Advocate Jowhar Abid told the judges that two separate FIRs had been registered against the petitioner under Sections 123-A, 124-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with the Section 25 of the Telegraph Act and Sections 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Super Highway and Sohrab Goth police stations.

In the FIRs, the complainants, Umar Khan and Mohabbat Khan, alleged that during a television current affairs programme, the petitioner had supported his party chief's statement against the federal institutions, the Inter-Services Intelligence and the Military Intelligence, operation Zarb-e-Azb and the Karachi operation. In his defence, Wasim Akhtar said he belongs to a large political party, which has been striving for the national cause at the national level, adding that he came to know about the registration of the cases under false allegations in early October.

He explained that in the cases, bogus allegations of disloyalty and persuasion of public for incitement have been levelled against him. The court was informed that members of the national and provincial assemblies belonging to the MQM had resigned due to the grudge and enmity of the state against their party. He alleged that such allegations have been levelled against the petitioner to put pressure on the party leaders to rejoin the assemblies.

It was also alleged that the police officials had registered the cases against the petitioner with mala fide motives. The police IG and the SHOs of the respective police stations had acted against their professional obligations, which amounted to supporting the criminals.

The court was pleaded to quash the FIRs under sedition and terror charges against the petitioner. It was also requested to restrain the SHOs from harassing the petitioner and to further restrain them from registering any case against him.

The bench issued notices to the DAG, the AG and PG for filing comments of the authorities concerned by December 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2015.