Farooq Sattar, other accused appear in court in media houses attack case

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Dr Farooq Sattar and other accused on Saturday appeared before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in a case pertaining to the attack on some private media houses on August 22, 2016 after the hate speech of the MQM founder Altaf Hussain.

MQM leaders Amir Khan, Kunwar Naveed Jameel, Shahid Pasha and other accused were also present in the court during the hearing. Investigation officer of the case and witness Judicial Magistrate Kaleemullah Kalwar were also present in the court. Magistrate Kalwar conducted identification parade of the 26 accused. The counsels of accused cross-examined prosecution witnesses and Judicial Magistrate Kaleemullah.

The court adjourned the hearing until May 25. However, the counsels of the accused will continue cross-examination of the witnesses. MQM founder and nine other accused had already been declared proclaimed offenders by the court.

Sattar and other accused had pleaded not guilty of attacking media houses and facilitating the hate speech of the party’s founder when the court indicted them in the case in November last year.

Two cases were registered against the accused at Artillery police station of Karachi after the party workers’ attack on media offices in the city.

On 22 August 2016, some workers of MQM went out of control and carried out attack on the office of some media houses, after the party founder speech against the state agencies and the media.