ISLAMABAD: Altaf Hussain, the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who lives in self-exile in London, has been found not guilty by a jury of encouraging acts of terrorism after making fiery speeches to followers in Pakistan’s financial capital Karachi.
The verdict was reached by a majority decision in London on Tuesday.
British police said in 2019 they had charged the London-based leader with a terrorism offense in connection with a speech delivered three years ago in which he was accused of urging a crowd of hunger strikers in Karachi to ransack media houses and storm the local headquarters of a military unit.
Two TV studios were soon after attacked and taken off air, while police officers were assaulted and injured, prosecutors said. One person was killed in the violence.
Rupert Bowers, a defense lawyer, sought to cast doubt over whether Hussain meant for his words to be taken literally that day. He urged jurors to judge the case “by the yardstick of Pakistan” and its “endemic violence,” Bloomberg reported.
“Mr. Hussain did nothing other than he has always done in trying to represent an oppressed part of the population while organizing what is axiomatically a peaceful protest by way of hunger strike,” Bowers said in his summing up. “If violence ensued in the latter part of that day he’s regretful of that — he’s not a terrorist.”
Fearing assassination, Hussain requested asylum in Britain in the 1990s and later gained British citizenship. But he ruled the port city of Karachi with an iron fist despite living thousands of miles away in London, able to close businesses and bring streets to a standstill with a single order.
But that ability has ebbed since 2013, when the military launched a crackdown in which the MQM says hundreds of its supporters have been arrested and killed in extrajudicial operations. Authorities deny the charge, saying they have targeted criminals and militants irrespective of political affiliations, and brought down crime rates considerably.
Hussain’s control over the party he founded in 1984 has also been undermined as loyalists led by former right-hand man Farooq Sattar announced in August 2016 the MQM would no longer be run from London but by politicians in Karachi.
The MQM, one of Pakistan’s biggest political parties, mostly comprises descendants of Muslim Urdu-speaking people who migrated to Pakistan from India around the time of the partition of India in 1947. The party is also accused of exercising influence through gangs engaged in racketeering, kidnappings for ransom and targeted killings in Karachi. The MQM denies the charges.
London jury declares exiled Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain not guilty of ‘encouraging terrorism’
https://arab.news/6t5ws
London jury declares exiled Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain not guilty of ‘encouraging terrorism’
- British police in 2019 charged Hussain with terrorism offense in connection with speech delivered in 2016
- Defense lawyer urged jurors to judge the case “by the yardstick of Pakistan” and its “endemic violence”
‘Ugly’ England aim to spin their way to World Cup semis ahead of Pakistan clash
- England stuttered with the bat, finishing at 146-9 in their Super Eight clash against Sri Lanka last week
- A win over Pakistan today will be enough to see the 2010 and 2022 T20 World Cup champions into semis
SRI LANKA: England are yet to catch fire at the T20 World Cup, but they won’t mind one bit if another “ugly” win secures Harry Brook’s side a semifinal berth with a game to spare.
England bowled out Sri Lanka for 95 on Sunday to open their Super Eights campaign with a 51-run win.
With the Pakistan-New Zealand clash on Saturday being washed out, a win against Pakistan on Tuesday at the same stadium will be enough to see the 2010 and 2022 T20 World Cup champions into the last four.
England again stuttered with the bat and were restricted to 146-9 by Sri Lanka on Sunday.
“We know that we can play a lot better,” all-rounder Liam Dawson told reporters after the win, in comments only made public on Monday.
“But at the end of the day in tournament cricket, you just need to get the win, however ugly.”
England’s bowlers came to the rescue for the third time in the tournament, after also defending below-par totals against Nepal and Italy.
“The fight we’ve shown with the ball shows that this team is in a very good place,” said Dawson.
Pakistan possess a dangerous spin attack, featuring a unique weapon in Usman Tariq and his pronounced pause before he releases the ball.
But Dawson said England would fight fire with fire with their own potent slow-bowling arsenal.
England captain Brook also has speedster Jofra Archer, the hit-the-deck-hard Jamie Overton and left-arm swing bowler Sam Curran as the seam options.
England’s flexibility enabled Will Jacks to open the bowling with his off-spin on Sunday and destroy Sri Lanka’s top order.
He returned figures of 3-22 in tandem with Archer, who removed both opening batsmen, to leave Sri Lanka in tatters at 34-5 at the end of the six-over power play.
England’s variety offers Brook endless options, said Dawson who bowls left-arm spin, as does Jacob Bethell.
“We’re all very different types of spinners. Jacksy gets very good over-spin, very good bounce.
“Dilly (wrist spinner Adil Rashid) has all these variations and me, I’m probably more of a defensive spinner and that’s my role. I’m just trying to be consistent for the captain.
“Adil can use all of his tricks and he comes on to get wickets and get us back in games or put us ahead in games.
“Obviously, Jacks, he’s been brilliant. He’s exploited conditions here very well.
“And I think the way Brookie captained today was phenomenal, how he used us all differently.”
But Dawson cautioned that the wicket on Tuesday night could play very differently to the tacky slow track they encountered on Sunday, which had sweated under covers after days of rain in Kandy.
“Obviously, a different challenge on Tuesday at a night game. It could be a better wicket. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”
