The bond for the founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf Hussain, in the case of incitement to violence against him, was extended on Friday after he appeared before a judge at the Central Criminal Court in London.
A trial date was also set today; A preliminary hearing will be held on March 20, 2020 and the trial will begin on June 1.
Hussain appeared before Judge Sweeney in the crown court known as Old Bailey, after a magistrate court on October 10 approved his case here for trial.
On October 11, Hussain was formally charged by the Crown Prosecutor Service under Section 1 (2) of the Terrorism Act 2006 for encouraging terrorism during a speech he delivered in August 2016. If convicted, he could face a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. with a fine
Last month, the court granted him bail based on conditions, which include restrictions on the issuance of speeches, a curfew that limits his movements outside his residence, a warning against the request for a travel permit and the custody of your passport to the police.
The conditions will remain in effect while on bail.
This is the first time that the supreme MQM has been accused of any crime in the United Kingdom, where it has been living in self-imposed exile since 1991. The measure is a blow to the party, which has maintained that Hussain is innocent and that the accusations against him are false.
2016 speech and research
On August 22, 2016, hours after Hussain delivered the incendiary speech, MQM workers attacked the ARY news Karachi office. Shortly after, the Rangers had arrested a handful of top MQM leaders overnight.
While addressing MQM workers protesting outside the Karachi Press Club against "forced disappearances and extrajudicial executions of workers," the MQM supreme had not only raised slogans against Pakistan, but also called the country "a cancer for all world".
On September 12 of this year, the MQM chief was interrogated for five hours at the same police station in relation to the case. He was released with an extension on his bond.
The founder of MQM was arrested by Met Police on June 11 as part of the investigation of his alleged hate speech. However, he was released on bail a day later by the British authorities without filing charges related to the investigation.
In June, police officers searched for two addresses linked to the founder of MQM in northwest London. Police had also said that their officers had been in contact with the authorities in Pakistan regarding their ongoing investigation.
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1514234/altaf-hussains-bail-extended-by-uk-court-trial-to-start-in-june-next-year