KARACHI: Arrest warrants for kidnap victim, husband issued
KARACHI, Sept 25: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday issued arrest warrants for a victim and a complainant in a kidnap-for-ransom case.
Mohammad Ikramullah is facing trial for kidnapping Mahnaz, wife of Umer Naveed, on April 29 in the Gizri police limits to obtain Rs2 million as ransom. The suspect had released the woman after collecting the ransom money. However, the police arrested him on June 10.
Earlier, the judge had directed the victim and her husband to appear in court, but they did not turn up.
The judge, Abdul Ghafoor Memon of ATC-II, who is conducting the trial, directed the police to produce them on Sept 27.
Ikramullah was accused on Sept 16 of kidnapping the woman for ransom. He denied the charge.
A case was registered under Section 365-A of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of Anti-terrorism Act at the Gizri police station on the complaint of the victim’s husband.
Corps commander attack case
The same court on Thursday adjourned till Oct 9 the hearing of a case against Qasim Toori, an alleged member of the banned militant outfit Jandullah, pertaining to an attack on the convoy of the then corps commander of Karachi in 2004 as the original file of the case was in the Sindh High Court.
Qasim Toori and his associates were charged with attacking the convoy of the then corps commander of Karachi, former lieutenant-general Ahsan Saleem Hayat, near the Clifton bridge on June 10, 2004.
About 11 people were killed and 12 others wounded in the attack. However, the corps commander survived the ambush.
A case (FIR 165/04) was registered against the accused at the Clifton police station under Sections 302, 324, 404/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 3/4/5 of the Explosive Act read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act.
The 10 other accused of the case had already been awarded death sentences by an anti-terrorism court and appeals against the decision were pending in the SHC.
Warrants for witnesses
An additional district and sessions court reissued on Thursday non-bailable warrants for the arrest of five witnesses in a kidnap and murder case registered against Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed.
The judge Abdul Razzaq, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison, directed investigation officer Faqir Mohammad Jatoi to arrest witnesses Attaullah, Salman, Ismail Qureshi, Tahir and Rashid Jameel, and produce them in court on Oct 8.
Earlier, the court had issued arrest warrants on Step 3 for the witnesses. However, they did not turn up on Wednesday.
Afaq Ahmed and their associates were charged with kidnapping Mohammed Farooq, Mohammad Tahir, Salman and M. Anwar, workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, in the limits of the Landhi police station on June 19, 1992. Later they allegedly killed Mohammad Farooq.
The police registered a case (FIR 102/92) under the Sections 147, 148, 149, 324, 364, 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Ismail Quershi.
Land scam case
An accountability court on Thursday directed the investigation officer to produce the prosecution witnesses on Oct 10 in a land scam case registered against a deputy inspector-general of the Sindh police and others.
The court had indicted the DIG, Altaf Hussain Bhatti, and others on charges of corruption on Sept 10. However, they pleaded not guilty and the judge of accountability court-I, Syed Aley Maqbool Rizvi, had summoned all the prosecution witnesses directing them to appear in court and record their statements on the next hearing. However, they failed to obey the court’s order.
On Dec 4, 2007, the National Accountability Bureau, Sindh, arrested DIG Altaf Hussain Bhatti for allegedly misusing his authority while holding a public office and illegally acquiring more than 500 acres of government land in Thatta district, causing heavy losses to the national exchequer.
According to the reference, the DIG had illegally transferred pieces of government land under fake names and later on getting them allotted to himself, his family members and relatives.
They were charged under Sections 9 (4) of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance 1999, read with Sections 468 and 471/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.