Observer Report
London
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has been banned from appearing on any form of media in the UK or Pakistan, after being charged with a terrorism offence on Thursday in the incitement speech inquiry against him.
He was presented before the Westminster Magistrates’ court where his lawyers pleaded for bail. But the judge imposed strict conditional bail restrictions, ordering that Hussain should stay under curfew at a specified address every night, and that he will not be allowed to travel without the court’s permission.
Earlier, he was charged by Scotland Yard in incitement speech inquiry for Intentionally Encouraging or Assisting Offences, Contrary to Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007.
The MQM leader had appeared at the Southwark Police Station in South London on Thursday for the third time in four months to face the police interrogation in relation to the incitement speech inquiry.
The charges were allowed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The police announced that the MQM founder has been charged in relation to 16 August 2016 speech, which was made in London and in whose aftermath violence ensued in Karachi.“Detectives from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command have today, 10 October, charged a 66-year-old man with a terrorism offence in connection with speech made in August 2016,” the police said in a statement.
“Altaf Hussain (17.09.1953), of Abbey View, Mill Hill, NW7, was charged under section 1(2) of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2006 with encouraging terrorism, namely: On 22 August 2016 published a speech to crowds gathered in Karachi, Pakistan which were likely to be understood by some or all of the members of the public to whom they were published as a direct or indirect encouragement to them to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and at the time he published them, intended them to be so encouraged.
