KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Wednesday acquitted chief of outlawed Peoples Amn Committee Uzair Baloch in three cases pertaining to kidnapping, premeditated murder and encounter with police due to “lack of evidence”.

The alleged Lyari kingpin is facing trial in dozens of criminal cases pertaining to kidnapping, murder, encounter and running extortion rackets under the alleged patronage of police high-ups and the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party.

On Wednesday, the ATC-VII judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced his verdict reserved earlier in the three cases.

The judge ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge against accused Uzair Baloch, Zakir alias Dada and Muhammad Shahid.

The decade-old cases pertain to murder, kidnapping, possession of explosives and police encounter

The judge ordered immediate release of Uzair, who is kept in a Rangers’ detention facility, if his custody was not required in any other case.

However, Advocate Abid Zaman said Uzair could not be immediately released since he has been facing trial in around 15 identical criminal cases. He said he has so far been acquitted in around 20 criminal cases.

According to the prosecution, on the instructions of PAC chief Uzair his armed aides — Zubair Baloch, Zafar Baloch alias Langra and others — had kidnapped two members of the rival Katchi Rabita Committee on Feb 15, 2012 within the jurisdiction of Kalri police station and killed one of them.

A case was registered under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 302 (premeditated murder), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997 at the Kalri police station.

The same court also acquitted Uzair Baloch, Zakir alias Dada and Muhammad Shahid in two identical cases pertaining to attacking an armoured personnel carrier with rockets killing Constable Syed Nayyer Abbas and two passers-by on Feb 15, 2012.

The prosecution said that the law enforcement agencies had launched a joint operation against Lyari gangsters, who led by Uzair Baloch and Zafar Baloch attacked then with rockets and grenades.

A case was registered under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempted murder), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Sections 3/4 of the Explosive Substances Act read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the ATA at the Kalakot police station.

In January 2016, Rangers had announced the arrest of Uzair in a raid on the outskirts of Karachi. Some reports said that he was already in custody when he was arrested in Dubai with the help of Interpol. Later, the army had taken over his custody for a trial in an espionage case and a military court had sentenced him to 12 years in prison for spying for Iranian intelligence agencies.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2022