Prosecution witness testifies in Pakistan Quarters rioting case

An anti-terrorism court on Monday recorded the statement of a prosecution witness in a case pertaining to inciting public to rioting and attacking state authorities during an eviction operation at Pakistan Quarters against former Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) chief Dr Farooq Sattar and others.

Dr Sattar and 13 members of the Pakistan Quarters Residents Committee were indicted in July by the ATC-IX. The prosecution had blamed them for leading a mob against the state authorities which had gone to the Pakistan Quarters to get them vacated on Supreme Court orders in October 2018.

Police said that around 400 people, including women and children, gathered on the streets. They allegedly attacked police, hurled abuses, pelted them with stones and injured some of the personnel, the prosecution added, adding that because of this, the police had to resort to baton charge, tear gas and water cannon against the protesters. Some got injured and some were taken into custody.

The prosecution witness, who is a medico-legal officer at a public hospital, testified on behalf of the state. The court after recording his testimony issued a summon to the complainant of the case to appear and depose before the judge.

The case was registered against the protesters under sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 283, 337-A (i), 353, 427 and 504 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with section 7

of the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Solider Bazaar police station.

Fourteen accused, including Sattar, have obtained bail from the court. Sattar’s counsel, advocate Latif Pasha, contended that his client was implicated in the case by the state on malafide intentions.

He said that Dr Farooq Sattar had joined the protest as a public representative and showing sympathy for the people who were going to be homeless by the eviction drive.