ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday declared Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder an absconder in a case pertaining to the incendiary speech by him on August 22 and the violence that followed on the day in Karachi.

ATC judge Shahrukh Arjumand also issued permanent arrest warrants for the founder, residing in London, and adjourned the next hearing to after he is arrested.

The founder has already been declared absconder in five cases. An ATC in Karachi had on March 20 declared him and seven others absconding in two cases pertaining to the August 22 violence and incendiary speech.

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Non-bailable warrants for the MQM-Pakistan head, Farooq Sattar, and Amir Khan were also issued in five cases.

The cases against MQM leaders were registered after the violent incidents of August 22 last year during and after a telephonic speech by the party's founder.

MQM workers were staging a hunger strike outside Karachi Press Club when the founder addressed them, made anti-state remarks and urged party workers to attack media over what he claimed was less coverage to him.

After that, the party split into two factions, MQM-Pakistan and MQM-London. Sattar is heading the Pakistan faction while Nadeem Nusrat the London-based one.