Defence grills witness in hate speech case against MQM leaders.

KARACHI -- An antiterrorism court on Saturday examined a prosecution witness (PW) in cases against Muttahida Qaumi Movement leaders for listening to an alleged hate speech of party founder Altaf Hussain.

Senior MQM leaders Dr Farooq Sattar, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Rauf Siddiqui and others have been charged with listening to Mr Hussain's July 12, 2015 speech in which he had made accusations against officers of security institutions.

On Saturday, the ATC-II judge recorded the statement of a prosecution witness, Khursheed Khattak, the supervisory investigation officer, Quaidabad.

The witness deposed that he had received a complaint by one Mohammad Javed, who stated that he was offended by an alleged speech of the MQM supremo and requested for registration of an FIR against the MQM leaders for listening to the speech and admiring their leader by clapping.

He further deposed that on the basis of the statement of the complainant recorded under Section 154 of the Criminal...