KARACHI, Jan 9: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the establishment division in a petition agitating supersession of a police officer.

Deputy inspector-general Mazhar Ali Shaikh, currently posted at Mirpurkhas, submitted through Advocate Mansoorul Haq Solangi that he joined the police service in grade 17 after qualifying the CSS exam held in 1977. He was promoted to grade 18 in 1985 and to grade 19 in 1995. He was given move-over in 1998 without being promoted to grade 20. He remains stuck in grade 19 despite a creditable service record. He claimed that he eliminated several gangs of criminals and saved the life of a UAE prince when he came under attack in Balochistan. The petitioner said he was first ignored for promotion in 2001 when officers junior to him were promoted. He said a meeting of the central selection board was due to be held shortly and he feared that he would again be superceded. A division bench comprising Justices Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui and Rana M. Shamim issued notices to the respondents for January 20.

Accused remanded

Justice Khwaja Naveed Ahmed, administrative judge for the Karachi anti-terrorism courts, remanded to police custody till January 15 another man accused of burning and looting the BASF Factory in the Landhi Industrial Area on December 27. Accused Alam Sher has been booked under the provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorist Act by the Quaidabad police station.

The investigation officer informed the administrative judge that physical custody of the accused was required for arrest of his accomplices, for recovery of the looted articles and for identification. The remand of two accused earlier arrested in the case was extended till Jan 15 for their identification by Shamsher Khan and Wahid Naseem, employees of the factory injured by assailants. The judge directed the judicial magistrate concerned to hold an identification parade for identification of accused Abdul Waqas and Mohammad Naeem by Jan 15.

Meanwhile, four workers of the Pakistan People’s Party, who had been booked on charges of looting, rioting and destroying public and private property in different parts of the city in the aftermath of the assassination of PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto at an election rally on Dec 27, were released by judges of the subordinate judiciary. Two others were remanded into police custody on Wednesday.

A judicial magistrate, East, excising his powers under Section of 63 of the criminal procedure code, released two activities of the PPP namely Hafeez Ahmed and Aslam due to lack of evidence against them. They were arrested on charges of rioting, arson and looting between Dec 27 and Dec 31. Police registered a case (FIR No 15/07) on the compliant of Ali Hasan, a deputy manager of SSGC, against them at the Korangi police station under Section of 147, 148, 149, 427, 435 and 395 of the Pakistan Penal Code for looting, rioting and destroying an office of SSGC in Korangi.

Another judicial magistrate, East, released two workers, Asghar Khan and Jameel Khan, against a surety bond of Rs15,000 each. They were booked on charges of rioting, looting and arson. A case (FIR No526/07) was registered at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station against them.

Meanwhile, a judicial magistrate, Central, remanded two workers of the PPP, Munawwar and Nadeem, into police custody for one day and directed the police to produce the accused in court on Thursday along with the relevant record.

The Sharea Noorjehan police registered a case (FIR No2/08) against them on charges of rioting.

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