Daily Times

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader Farooq Sattar was indicted in a 31-year-old case pertaining to violating the Loudspeaker Act on Wednesday.

However, the MQM-P senior leader pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court summoned witnesses on October 17 and adjourned the hearing till then.

Separately, MQM-P leaders including Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, Farooq Sattar, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Haider Abbas Rizvi and others were indicted by a city court in another case pertaining to violation of the Loudspeaker Act. This case was registered in 2015. Reportedly, all of the party workers pleaded not guilty to the charges in this case as well.

Speaking to media outside the city court, MQM-P veteran Farooq Sattar said that fabricated cases had been registered against MQM-P workers. He demanded that the cases be withdrawn and missing workers be recovered. “Our partnership with the government should not be just all words and no action,” said Sattar.

Commenting on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Sattar said that the project was indeed a game changer but efforts were being made to jeopardise it. “China and Pakistan are partners but India is finding ways to disrupt CPEC. The Indian army chief’s statement is also a link in the same chain,” he opined. Furthermore, Sattar alleged that MQM-P was responsible for getting the circular railway project incorporated in CPEC.

The first case against the MQM-P leader was registered following a MQM gathering in PIB Colony on June 27, 1987. According to the First Information Report (FIR), MQM leader Mohammad Shahid organised a program in which MQM chief Altaf Hussain, general secretary Azeem Tariq and party veteran Farooq Sattar were present along with 600-700 participants. The FIR stated that Altaf Hussain took the podium to criticise an Urdu newspaper and announced to boycott the paper over the loudspeaker. The FIR also mentioned that armed bodyguards were present on the occasion.

A case was registered at the New Town police station under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), Section 2/3 of the Loudspeaker Act read with Section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance. Sattar had obtained an interim bail from a district court in the case.

The second case was registered against a total of nine MQM leaders back in 2015 after the party staged a protest rally against Rangers’ raids at party offices and arrests of MQM workers. The rally which began at Liaquatabad was disrupted by police near Numaish Chowrangi.

Cases were registered against Sattar, Rizvi, Nasreen Jalil, Wasay Jalil, Faisal Sabzwari, Siddiqui, Akhtar and others for violation of the Loudspeaker Act and Section 144 of the PPC, and ‘harassing passer-bys’ during the rally.

According to the FIR, 1,500 to 2,000 workers of the party gathered at MA Jinnah Road to stage a demonstration against the government. The FIR stated that the Loudspeaker Act was violated on the occasion since party leaders made speeches.

Moreover, the police also booked the MQM leaders for creating hurdles for the general public through blocking roads.

Published in Daily Times, October 4^th 2018.