Pakistan: Supreme Court to hear Pashtun leader MNA Ali Wazir's appeal on Monday
Nov 28, 2021
Islamabad, [Pakistan] November 28 : The Supreme Court of Pakistan will hear Pashtun Movement Leader MNA Ali Wazir's appeal on Monday against the judgement of the Sindh High Court dismissing his bail application in the case related to his "incendiary" speeches, according to the Pakistan newspaper Dawn.
Earlier, Wazir was arrested in Peshawar on Dec 16, 2020, at the request of the Sindh police, and flew to Karachi.
Wazir was arrested on the charges of making insulting and incendiary speeches against the state institutions at a PTM protest rally in Karachi on Dec 6, 2020, according to the newspaper.
Further, a First Information Report was lodged against him for voicing for Pashtun Rights following which the PTM lawmaker, through his counsel, approached the State Human Rights Commission (SHC) in Sindh for bail after an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi had dismissed a similar application in February this year.
Sindh's SHC failed to note that no independent witness was ever produced against him during the trial.
"Upon a tentative assessment of the transcript of the speech which is on record, we have observed that uncouth, vulgar, obscene and uncivilized language has been used by the applicant against institutions of the state apart from language and words that may have the potential of creating disharmony and inciting provincial differences," the SHC further noted.
On the other hand, the appeal has pleaded before the apex court to set aside the High Court order in the sedition case
MNA Ali Wazir is one of the growing numbers of Pashtun leaders based in Pakistan who are demanding rights for Pashtuns who are feeling left out under Imran Khan's premiership in Pakistan .
