KARACHI: Rangers officials on Tuesday filed a case against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain for threatening the paramilitary force, DIG South Abdul Khaliq Sheikh said.

The case has been registered under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Civil Lines police station in the metropolis on the request of the paramilitary force, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

Rangers spokesperson Col Tahir Mehmood has filed the case against the political party.

The Rangers official maintained that following the raid on MQM Headquarters, Altaf – in an interview on Geo News – threatened members of the paramilitary force who were involved in the operation.

"Woh the [past tense] ho jain ge," Hussain had told show host Shahzeb Khanzada on GeoNews, in an apparent veiled threat to the paramilitary force personnel involved in the raid.

A large number of criminal cases registered against Altaf Hussain were wiped out in 2009, following the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) issued by former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2007. After the NRO, this is the first criminal case registered against Altaf Hussain in the country.

Image of the FIR registered against MQM chief.

Image of the FIR registered against MQM chief.

Last week, Rangers officials conducted an unprecedented raid on the MQM's headquarters located in Karachi's Azizabad neighbourhood. A number of party workers, including MQM's Rabita Committee member Amir Khan, were detained during the raid.

Two convicted criminals were also recovered during the raid, Rangers asserted.