LAHORE: The Lahore High Court’s Multan Bench on Thursday upheld the death penalty of 11 members of Chhotu gang, including its leader Ghulam Rasool, in a 2016 case, wherein six police officials were martyred, seven others injured and at least 24 taken hostage by the gangsters.

A division bench comprising Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry decided the appeals of the convicted gangsters in the case registered by Bangla Iccha police station, Rajanpur.

A trial court had in 2019 awarded death sentences to 19 gangsters on six counts.

The bench dismissed the appeals of Ghulam Rasool, Nadir, Deen Muhammad, Khalid alias Khaldi, Ishaq, Akram alias Akri, Sher Khan, Bahram, Bashir, Mujeebur Rehman, Hussain Bakhsh and Pyara.

Giving benefit of doubt, the bench acquitted eight convicts, including Ghulam Haider, Hakim, Razzaq, Majid, Nasir, Juma alias Bhatta, Rashid and Abdul Wahid.

Additional Prosecutor General Chaudhry Muhammad Akbar assisted the bench and opposed the appeals.

According to the FIR, during a raid in Katcha Rojhan area to arrest the wanted criminals, the Chhotu gang members opened fire on the police team. SHO Muhammad Hanif and constables Obaidullah Faheem, Amanullah, Muhammad Ajmal, Muhammad Tariq, and Muhammad Shakeel were martyred in the gangsters’ firing.

Constables Aftab Ahmed, Saeed Ahmed, Tanvir Hussain, Muhammad Ashfaq, Zabeehullah, Haq Nawaz, and Saifullah were injured, while 24 other policemen were taken hostage by the gang. The police had recovered hand grenades and modern weapons from the possession of the convicts.

KEMU: The Lahore High Court on Thursday dismissed a Punjab government appeal to withdraw a stay order against appointments and transfers in King Edward Medical University (KEMU).

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh observed that the appeal petition was filed unnecessarily.

The appeal argued that seats in KEMU were allocated by the government and that the stay order was obtained by concealing facts from the court.

The judge had stayed the appointments on senior slots at the medical university including that of the pro-vice chancellor.

The stay order was passed on a petition by Dr Nakshab Chaudhry, who pleaded that according to the KEMU Lahore Act 2005, all posts including pro-VC, registrar, deans, directors, chairman, treasurer, assistant and associate professors and the faculty members belonged to the university cadre.

He said the government cannot appoint any person through transfer against these posts. He stated that any interference by the provincial government and the secretary specialized healthcare & medical education in the appointments at the university would be illegal. The petitioner argued that the seats allocated by the health department had been included in the university according to the procedure.

He asked the court to nullify the notifications for appointments of officers on deputation and to annul the government notifications regarding the appointments and transfers.

Justice Sheikh dismissed the government’s appeal and sought replies from the secretary health and the KEMU vice-chancellor by Sept 17.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2024