KARACHI: The city mayor, Waseem Akhtar, was released from the central prison on Wednesday four months after an anti-terrorism court granted him bail in the last of the 39 cases registered against him.

The ATC-H judge allowed the bail applications of the city mayor along with senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Abdul Qadir Patel against a surety bond of Rs500,000 each in the case registered against them and other politicians for facilitating treatment of suspected militants.

The high court has already granted bail to co-accused in the case including Pak Sarzameen Party president Anis Kaimkhani, Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmaker Rauf Siddiqui, PPP lawmaker Abdul Qadir Patel and Pasban leader Usman Moazzam, who had allegedly asked former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain to treat and shelter the suspected militants at his private hospital.

Mr Akhtar, a senior leader who has been associated with the MQM for more than two decades, had already distanced himself from the London-based leadership claiming that his loyalty was with the MQM-Pakistan, but he faced a challenging situation as he attempted to visit Yadgar-i-Shuhada where workers of both factions of the party turned up. One of them chanted slogans in favour of MQM-Pakistan while the other raised voice for the party`s founding chief and Londonbased leadership.

MQM-Pakistan spokesman Amin-ul-Haq said the Karachi mayor and other party workers were stopped near Allah Wali Chowrangi and asked to return when activists loyal to the London-based leadership emerged and started chanting slogans. TheMQM-Pakistan rally returned without visiting the Yadgar-i-Shuhada, he added.

The police later managed to disperse the workers claiming to be loyal with the MQMLondon.

Around six political workers were detained on the charge of hooliganism on the arrival of Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar, according to a senior police officer.Central SSP Muqadas Hyder told Dawn that certain political party `workers` indulged in hooliganism and tried to incite others to violence. Half a dozen workers were arrested to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, said the ofhcer, adding that the case was being registered against them at the Azizabad police station.

Subsequently, the Karachi mayor movedto the newly-established party office in PIB Colony with other senior party leaders.

Earlier before the sunset, Mr Akhtar was received by a large number of MQM workers outside the central prison from where he drove to the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum to pay homage to the Father of the Nation in a caravan of workers amid security.

At the ATC-H, Mr Akhtar soon after receiving the bail orders showed his resolve to serve the city with all energy and zeal. `We know Karachi is plagued by a number of issues. These problems are our problems,` said Mr Akhtar while requesting all those elected to set aside their differences for the progress of the metropolis.

Surrounded by his family, friends and senior party leaders, Mr Akhtar appeared confident and calm. He claimed to have planned extensively while being imprisoned to resolve civic issues of the city. His wife, Naila Wasim, who was also present on the court premises, thanlced every single individual involved in the process and stood by their side in the struggle against the `fake cases`.

`I personally thank every individual whether members of the legal team, political workers or the media,` she said while talking informally with the reporters outside the court. `They all supported us, as they did what theycould do. Because they all know that the cases Karachi mayor is facing are fake and politically motivated.

At the hearing, the ATC-II judge allowed the bail applications of Mr Akhtar and PPP leader Mr Patel against a surety bond of Rs500,000 each, as the high court had already granted bail to four other accused in the case. This was the highest surety bond he has submitted in any case. It is estimated that his around Rs2 million are with courts as guarantees.

Mr Patel was also released from the prison afterthe ballorders.

This was the last out of the 39 cases registere d against the Karachi mayor in which he was granted bail.

The trial court also issued orders for the release of both leaders after the surety had been furnished and the jail authorities set them free in the evening.

The former petroleum minister, Dr Asim Hussain, has been charged with allegedly treating and harbouring suspected terrorists, militants and gangsters at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospitalallegedly at the request of the city mayor and other co-accused.

Meanwhile, the court allowed an application of MQM lawmaker seeking permission to perform Umrah and adjourned the hearing of the case till Dec 3. All the accused persons were indicted on Nov 5 and now the case is fixed for evidence.

Mr Akhtar and the PPP leader had landed in prison along with the PSP president and the MQM lawmaker in July after the trial court dismissed their pre-arrest bail applications in the present case.

On Nov 1, the Sindh High Court had granted bail to the former petroleum minister, PSP president, MQM lawmaker and Usman Moazzam of Pasban against a surety bond of Rs500,000.

According to the prosecution, the co-accused had allegedly asked Dr Asim to harbour and provide medical treatment to political militants, Lyari gangsters as well as activists of banned militant outfits at Ziauddin hospitals after they sustained wounds in shootouts with police and the Rangers.

A case was registered on the com-plaintofadeputysuperintendentofthe Rangers under multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Antiterrorism Act, 1997 at the North Nazimabad police station. The court has already declared MQM leader Saleem Shahzad as a proclaimed offender in the case.

Although the police had `cleared` Dr Asim and others in December 2015 for what they had claimed lack of evidence, the administrative judge of the ATCs threw out the police report and took cognizance after considering the available material sufficient to put the accused on trial.In all, the city mayor was named in 39 cases, including around 30 cases related to listening and facilitating the alleged hate speeches of his party founder Altaf Hussain, while over half a dozen cases pertaining to May 12, 2007 mayhem against him surfaced after he was behind the bar.

Mr Akhtar obtained pre-arrest bail in the 30 cases and managed to get bail in all the other cases within the past four months.

He also won the mayoral election by contesting the polls from jail.