The Sindh High Court Thursday (today) has remanded Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) mayor-designate Waseem Akhtar in police’s custody for five days in a case pertaining to facilitating terrorism.
The decision has come in a day after Akhtar, accused in terror facilitation case, approached the high court to seek bail before arrest.
However, an antiterrorism court Wednesday rejected bail pleas of Waseem Akhtar.
Among Akhtar, Rauf Siddique and Anees Qaimkhani had also sought assistance in the case from the high court.
Justice Ahmed Ali and Justice Iqbal Mehr of the divisional bench of the high court have dismissed bail plea of Qaimkhani, instructing him to move to trail court.
Qaimkhani’s counsel, Farooq Advocate maintained that his client was out of the country at the time and he has been made a part of the case on ‘mere’ statements of Joint Investigation Team and witness.
Trial court’s rejection of bail extension does not meet the requirements of the law this it should be overturned, Farooq urged the court.
The mayoral candidate of Karachi, Pak Sarzameen Party’s Qaimkhani, MQM’s Siddique and Pakistan People’s Party’s Abdul Qadir Patel were named by Dr Asim Hussain, former minister of petroleum during interrogation in a case regarding facilitation of terrorists and target killers in Karachi.
Dr Hussain had stated that he treated terrorists in his hospital called Ziauddin Hospital on request of the aforementioned accused persons.
In a rather dramatic turn of events on Tuesday, bails extensions of all four of the accused were dismissed by an anti-terrorism court.
Qaimkhani, Rauf Siddique and Waseem Akhtar were taken into custody from the courtroom while Patel left the premises in his vehicle only to surrender himself at Boat Basin Police Station.
Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal ordered the arrest of Patel for which a team was formed that raided his office and residence in Defence Housing Authority. The three accused were involved in a case relating to the treatment of alleged terrorists at former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain’s hospitals.
Dr Asim Hussain, a PPP leader, was arrested last year by Rangers and a case was registered against him in North Nazimabad Police Station after 90 days of remand. The case charges Dr Hussain of providing shelter to terrorists in the name of medical treatment.
PSP leader Syed Mustafa Kamal had held a press conference on Tuesday and urged his supporters throughout Pakistan to remain calm and not cause agitation. Kamal had stated that PSP would legally pursue Anees Qaimkhani’s release.
