ATC sends MQM-H's Afaq Ahmed on judicial remand

Karachi: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday denied the police's request to physically remand Afaq Ahmed, the Chairman of Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H), in a case involving vehicle arson. Instead, the court ordered him to be sent to jail.

Afaq Ahmed has been accused in two separate cases of violence filed at the Landhi and Awami Colony police stations in Karachi. Police say that vehicles were set on fire in Landhi on his orders. According to the police, the suspects attacked a man and set his truck on fire, telling him they were following Ahmed’s instructions. The complainant claimed that the attackers said they were acting on Ahmed's orders, which involved preventing heavy traffic from entering the city.

This incident is linked to a viral video showing Afaq Ahmed and his associates making threats, stating that from Tuesday onward, heavy vehicles would not be allowed into Karachi. They warned of severe consequences if the traffic ban was ignored.

Afaq Ahmed was arrested late Monday night from his home in Clifton and brought to court under tight security, handcuffed and in an armoured vehicle.

During the hearing, the judge questioned the police prosecutor, asking why they needed to hold Ahmed for physical remand and what they intended to investigate. The court found the police’s request unnecessary and ordered Ahmed to be sent to jail.

This case comes after a series of fatal accidents in Karachi involving dumpers, which led local authorities to impose a daytime ban on heavy traffic. Transporters have protested this restriction.

Ahmed’s legal team has filed a bail petition, and the court has scheduled a hearing for February 14 to consider it.