Karachi: Waseem Akhtar, the jailed mayor of Pakistan’s largest city, was set free on Wednesday after the court granted him bail in all the 39 cases he was charged with and arrested for about four months.

He is facing dozens of charges under the Anti-terrorism Act, and allegedlly for facilitating terrorists .

He was arrested on July 19 when he arrived at the court seeking bail.

A large number of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activists and workers descended on the Karachi Central Jail to celebrate the mayor’s release on bail. They were carrying the tri-coloured party flags as well as the national flags.

Akhtar was showered with rose petals when he came out of the jail premises showing the sign of victory with his fingers.

He was carried in atop a truck to the mausoleum of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of this nation and better known as Quide Azam, where he offered prayers and paid tribute.

Party leaders said he would go to PIB Colony, where he would address a press conference at the newly set up head office of the MQM.

The party moved office after a crackdown by the Paramilitary Rangers on the 90, the conventional headquarters of the party.

Earlier, an anti-terrorism court granted him bail in the 39th case against Akhtar, as he had already been granted bail in 38 other criminal charges from different police stations in the city.

The bail was granted against half a million rupees (Dh17,528) security. Akhtar was also ordered to submit his travel documents and passports to the court so he could not travel abroad during the trials.

Abdul Qadir Patel, a leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), who was also facing the charges under anti terrorism actis, was also granted bail by the same court.

Akhtar was also facing the charges in the killings of dozens of people on May 12, 2007, when he was the home minister of Sindh province during the regime of Pervez Mushrraf.

The police investigation reports that were leaked to the media claimed that Akhtar had confessed his role in the 12th May carnage. However, the lawyers of Akhtar as well as his party later issued a written statement rejecting any such confession.

Akhtar was elected as mayor on August 31, while he was still languishing in jail and his applications for granting bails were rejected repeatedly.

He appealed the authorities to allow him to set up a makeshift office inside the jail so that he could carry on his mayoral office from there. However, the government did not concede to his appeals.