15 more days given to ex-MQM MPA’s lawyer to close arguments

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An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday gave two weeks again to the lawyer of a former Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker to submit his final arguments in a case pertaining to alleged distribution of CDs containing anti-state speeches.The ATC judge granted the attorney for former MPA Sheeraz Waheed time until October 2 to file his final arguments in the case which has been on trial for around three years. The judge had allowed some time to the lawyer on the previous hearing, however, he sought more on Friday.Waheed was implicated in the case in August 2016 after the MQM split into two factions of MQM-Pakistan and MQM-London due to the controversial speech of party founder Altaf Hussain in which he chanted slogans against the country.According to the FIR, the MPA along with his over two dozen accomplices allegedly distributed CDs that contained speeches and statements to wage a war or attempt or abet to wage a war against the country among the people in Ahsanabad.The police claimed that they had found 32 such CDs on the MPA at the time of his arrest on August 25, 2016.The MPA and other nominated persons in the case, except one Azhar Ali, who has been absconding, are on bail. During the hearing, one of the accused, Ali Hasan, sought condonation from the court for his previous absence, which the judge approved.The case was registered under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 123-A (condemnation of the creation of the state and advocacy of abolition of its sovereignty), 124-A (sedition) and 109 (abetment) of the PPC.

from The News International - Karachi https://ift.tt/30eEuuv
The News International - Karachi