Farooq Sattar, other MQM leaders indicted in incendiary speech case

KARACHI: An accountability court on Saturday indicted Farooq Sattar, and other Mutahidda Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leaders in cases related to incendiary speech and attack on the ARY office.

The court read out the charges against them, stating that a hate speech was delivered outside the Karachi Press Club in August 2016 and MQM leaders facilitated the provocative speech. The court said that speech challenged the integrity of the country. “The MQM chief then ordered workers to attack a media house.”

The leaders of the party were then asked by the court whether they listened all such content in the speech. All of the accused replied in negative, to which the court responded, “Have some fear of God and speak the truth.”

The MQM leaders repeated their earlier statement that they didn’t listen to any such remark.

Those who were indicted included Amir Khan, Kanwar Naveed Jamil, Qamar Mansoor, Shahid Pasha, Gulfraz Khattak, M. Ishaq and Mehfooz Yar Khan.

Later speaking to media, Farooq Sattar said: “We all have rejected charges that accuse us of being anti-state during the court hearing, he said, adding that he was sure nobody would have raised a slogan against the country.”

He called upon the government to clarify its policy on the case. “We are peace loving and we do not endorse statements coming from London in any capacity,” insisted the MQM-P leader.

Last month, a city court had indicted Dr. Farooq Sattar in the Loudspeaker Act violation case.

The case was registered at the New Town police station under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Sections 2/3 of the Loudspeaker Act read with Section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance.

Sattar had in June 2018 got interim bail from a district court in the case.