KARACHI: A sessions court heard on Wednesday arguments on a bail application of a Karachi University professor in an illicit weapon case.

Dr Riaz Ahmed, associate professor at the Applied Chemistry department of KU, was taken into custody by Rangers on April 1 for allegedly carrying an unlicensed pistol when he was on his way to the Karachi Press Club to hold a press conference to demand the release of over 70-year-old retired professor and leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London Dr Hasan Zafar Arif.

Dr Ahmed, who was remanded to prison on the following day, through his lawyer barrister Salahuddin Ahmed moved the bail application.

The applicant’s counsel argued that his client was picked up when he was going to the KPC to address a press conference and was framed in the case with mala fide intention.

He maintained that there was no independent witness and all witnesses of the case were Rangers’ personnel, adding that the applicant was entitled to bail since he was no more required for questioning as he had already been remanded to prison.

The special public prosecutor of Rangers, Sajid Mehboob Shaikh, opposed the bail application and contended that besides the present case, the applicant as per his mobile data was also allegedly promoting and supporting the bloggers accused of committing blasphemy, adding that the matter was still under investigation since the mobile phone of the applicant had been sent to the forensic lab for analysis.

The additional district and sessions judge (south), Rajesh Chandar Rajput, adjourned the hearing till Thursday when the court may pronounce its order on the bail application after hearing the remaining arguments from the prosecutor.

A case was registered against Dr Ahmed under Section 23 (i) (a) of the Sindh Arms Act 2013 on the complaint of a Rangers inspector at the Artillery Maidan police station.

Saleem Shahzad’s bail pleas

Another sessions court on Wednesday came down heavily on investigating officers for not producing police files in 25-year-old cases against former Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Saleem Shahzad.

The former MQM leader through his lawyer moved bail applications and when the pleas came up for hearing before an additional district and sessions judge (east) on Wednesday, the IOs remained unable to produce police files of the cases despite court order.

While expressing resentment, the court directed the IOs to produce files on April 8 and warned that the orders on bail would be pronounced if the police again failed to present the files at the next hearing.

The former MQM leader was arrested shortly after he landed at the Karachi airport from Dubai on Feb 6 and sent to prison on the following day in a case pertaining to providing shelter and treatment to alleged terrorists at Dr Asim Hussain’s hospital.

Later the court granted him bail. But the police had also shown him arrested in two cases registered in 1992 and submitted that he was a proclaimed offender in both cases pertaining to kidnapping, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and rioting registered at the Malir and the Landhi police stations.

The first FIR was registered under Sections 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 323 (value of diyat), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506-B (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the Malir police station and the other case registered under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc) and 34 of the PPC at the Landhi police station.

Conviction

A judicial magistrate sentenced on Wednesday a property dealer to three years in prison in a case pertaining to a bounced cheque.

Khalid Mehmood was guilty of dishonestly issuing a cheque to complainant Shabnam Rehman for payment against a property deal in Clifton.

A case was registered under Section 489-F (dishonestly issuing a cheque for repayment of loan, etc) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Darakshan police station.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2017