KARACHI: A Karachi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has officially reopened a high-profile case against the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and several top leaders regarding alleged anti-state sloganeering. During the recent proceedings, five arrested suspects—Syed Hamid Pasha, Muhammad Tahseen, Muhammad Umar, Mirza Waseem, and Afaq Alam—were produced before the ATC, which subsequently granted their physical remand until July 23. Although the investigating officer had requested an extension until August 1 to facilitate further arrests and conduct identification parades, the court directed the authorities to present the suspects by the designated date.
Alongside the MQM founder, the case nominates numerous prominent political figures, including current MQM-P Chairman Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Dr. Farooq Sattar, former provincial minister Rauf Siddiqui, former MNA Kanwar Naveed, former Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, Qamar Mansoor, and Mahmood Hussain, in addition to 1,000 to 1,200 unidentified individuals. According to the formal prosecution charges, the incident dates back to May 12, 2016, when the accused allegedly blocked Shahrah-e-Quaideen near Mazar-e-Quaid by force and chanted slogans against the government and the state.
