Karachi: A senior leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) filed application in the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking its exemption of the party chief in exile from coming to the court in a contempt case against him.
MQM’s Farogh Nasim and Qazi Khalid Ahmad filed the application in the Supreme Court making a plea that a large number of the party workers and followers believed that the life of MQM chief Altaf Hussain was in danger if he comes to Pakistan.
Hussain, who left the country and settled in 1992 during a military operation against his party, was summoned to the Supreme Court for his remarks against the court during a telephonic speech to his party workers.
The SC took notice of his remarks and fixed January 7 as the hearing date and summoned Hussain to explain his position in the court.
The application said that since Hussain’s life was not safe so in place of him Farooq Sattar, a confidant of Hussain and senior party leader, wanted to appear in the court to defend Hussain.
The lawyers have referred to the Section 17 of the law which allows a citizen to seek exemption from attending the court if necessary.
The MQM application also mentioned that for past five years the political leadership was exposed to life threats.
It said that the leaders like Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, and Bashir Bilour , the senior minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw have fallen prey to terrorism.
