KARACHI, July 29: The district and session court, South, issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of a member of the Sindh Assembly in the Eshwar Lal case on Saturday.
Judge Agha Rafique Ahmed Khan ordered the police to arrest MPA Murad Ali Shah, an MPA from Naushehro Feroz belonging to the PML(Q), and to produce him before the court on Aug 15. The police had cited a total of five accused.
Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, leader of opposition in the provincial assembly, and PPP MPAs Haji Munawar Ali Abbasi, Mohammad Nawaz Chandio and Mohammad Saleem Hingoro — were earlier granted bail before arrest in the sum of Rs50,000 each in the attempted murder case registered by ruling PML MPA Eshwar Lal.
Mr Lal alleged that he used to exchange gifts and greetings with Ms Shazia Mari during his festivals, and when he was told about the illness of Ms Marri and on June 21, he inquired about her wellbeing through a note on a piece of paper during the assembly session.
The ruling party MPA alleged that the woman MPA read the note and later gave it to the leader of opposition, who along with Ms Marri and other PPP MPAs went out of the assembly hall.
“After a short while, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Muneer Abbasi, Mohammad Nawaz Chandio, Saleem Hingoro and other MPAs returned with eight to 10 men and threatened him of dire consequences, and that they would not spare me alive”, he alleged.
Mr Lal further alleged that the PPP MPAs then started beating him with fists and kicks and they tried to kill him.
He said in the meantime Mahi Khan Wasan, abdur Razaque Dahmoo and other MPAs rescued him.
He reported to the police that he remained in the grip of scare and confined himself to his house for a few days.
Meanwhile, the judge also extended the interim bail granted to four PPP MPAs till Aug 15 when he would hear arguments of the prosecution on the confirmation of the pre-arrest bail.
Defence counsel Shahadat Awan forwarded his arguments for the confirmation of the bail before arrest, granted to the four MPAs.
Prosecutor Shahabuddin Memom said that the complainant had received life threats through written messages (SMS) on his mobile phone and the prosecution needed time to collect the relevant record of the SMS.
Complainant’s attorney, Umer Soomro, also prayed to the court to adjourn the matter as the prosecution needed time.
Defence counsel Shahadat Awan contended that the opposition MPAs were implicated by the complainant at the behest of the ruling party.
He argued that the case against opposition MPAs had been registered with ulterior motives.
