A witness has identified MQM’s Farooq Sattar during an identification parade in the courtroom for facilitating the hate speech of the party’s founder on August 22, 2016 and inciting people to violence.
Inspector Ali Raza told an anti-terrorism court in Karachi that Sattar and Khan were standing on the stage when the founder was delivering a speech against the country’s institutions. Altaf Hussain told the party supporters to attack media houses, while Sattar and Amir Khan told them that the founder’s instructions must be followed, the witness added.
The party supporters burnt cars on the instructions of the two MQM leaders, he said.
Farooq Sattar denies charges
Sattar was indicted in the case on November 3, 2018 and he denied the charges.
He said that he was being dragged into it by his political rivals.
About the speech given by MQM-London chief Altaf Hussain on August 22, 2016, Sattar said they parted ways with the faction that very night as the statements made by the party founder were unacceptable to them.
Attack on media houses
The 2016 incident occurred after MQM founder Altaf Hussain’s address to his workers over the telephone. He chanted what law enforcers say were anti-Pakistani slogans and spoke against media houses for not covering their hunger strike camp outside the Karachi Press Club in July.
After Altaf’s provocative speech, MQM supporters stormed offices of NEO TV and ARY News, broke glass doors, and assaulted their staff members.
One person was killed and eight others were injured in the incident. The police said the protesters opened fire and hurled stones at them and the cameramen of three TV channels. The police fired teargas shells to disperse the mob.
Rangers then took MQM leaders including Dr Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izharul Hasan, and Aamir Liaquat Hussain into custody. The party’s Nine Zero headquarters and Khurshid Begum Complex were raided and a total of 44 workers were arrested on charges of arson and terrorism.
