Campaigner Alamgir Khan, whose ‘Fix it’ campaign to cover unsealed manholes in the metropolis gained media attention, was indicted under Section 341 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in a case of wrongful restraint by Judicial Magistrate (South) Kaleemullah Kalwar on Friday.
Alamgir and driver Saifullah, who were arrested last month by police as the campaigner attempted to create a “symbolic garbage dump” outside Chief Minister (CM) House, were granted bail in the case against surety bonds of Rs 5,000 each.
Khan was on board a tractor and moving along the PIDC traffic intersection towards the Red Zone where several state building including Chief Minister House are located when police personnel took him and his driver, Saifullah, into custody.
The campaigner pleaded not guilty after framing of charge against him. Subsequently, the court adjourned the case until April 8 and summoned prosecution witnesses to record their statements on the next hearing. The maximum punishment for the offence is one month or a fine of Rs 500.
Alamgir rose to fame after he led Karachiites in a campaign to spray the portrait of Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah alongside potholes, ditches and heaps of garbage lining major roads of the metropolis which invoked the ire of thousands everyday. Khan, who holds a senior position in the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s Karachi division, has insisted that his campaign is purely apolitical.