KARACHI, Jan 22: An investigation officer submitted an interim charge-sheet in the court of a judicial magistrate (south) against politician Mumtaz Ali Bhutto and his party workers for an alleged attack on a Sindhi-language newspaper’s office in Clifton.

Sindh National Front chairman Mumtaz Bhutto and his party workers were booked in a case (FIR 01/09) under Sections 147, 148, 149, 506B, 452, 504 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of Dr Khair Mohammad, managing editor of the daily Awami Awaz, at the Frere police station.

According to the charge-sheet, some 30 to 35 workers of the SNF, equipped with weapons, attacked the newspaper’s office. They used abusive language, manhandled the staff and threatened them with dire consequences for not publishing an article by Mumtaz Bhutto on the first death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.

It added that the attack was made at the behest of the SNF chairman as he wanted to teach a lesson to the newspaper team while the staff members had identified three persons belonging to the SNF – Anwar Gujjar, Ayub Unnar and Razzaq Bajwa.

The charge-sheet further said the police recorded statements of eyewitnesses and arrested a local office-bearer of the SNF, Anwar Gurjjar, for his involvement in the incident, adding that an illegal weapon and a copy of the said article were seized from him and a case under the Arms Ordinance was also registered at the Brigade police station, and during the interrogation the suspect had disclosed the names of the absconding accused.

The IO has placed 13 prosecution witnesses – seven staff members of the newspaper and six policemen – in the charge-sheet while Ayub Unnar, Sikandar Bhutto, Faqir Mohammad, Ijaz Bhutto, Ibrahim, Nazir Ahmed, Kashif and around 20 to 25 unknown persons were shown absconders in the case.

The police also arrested Mumtaz Bhutto in his hometown of Larkana on Jan 3 for his alleged involvement in the attack. However, he was released on bail on Jan 5. Later, Anwar Gujjar was also enlarged on bail while another suspect, Razzaq Bajwa, is on interim pre-arrest bail.

The judicial magistrate (south) adjourned on Thursday the hearing of the case till Feb 2.

Mumtaz Bhutto’s counsel filed an application, requesting the judge to exempt his client from appearance in person, which would be heard on the next hearing.

Meanwhile, a division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justices Khilji Arif Hussain and Arshad Noor Khan adjourned to a date in office a petition moved by Sindh National Front chairman Mumtaz Ali Bhutto against his implication in a criminal case by the Frere police last month. He submitted through Advocate Abid S. Zuberi that he knew nothing about a raid alleged to have been conducted by some people on a newspaper office but had been nominated as the main accused in the FIR for political reasons.

Dr Mohammad Azhar Faruqui, cardiologist, submitted his affidavit to say that the certificate issued by him after Mr Bhutto’s check-up was authentic.

Assistant Advocate-General Adnan Karim stated that there was discrepancy about dates. However, the petition was not maintainable as the FIR could not be quashed under the law.

The judicial magistrate concerned had already taken cognizance of the case and the petitioner was in attendance there. The only remedy was for him to move the trial court under Section 249-A of the Criminal Procedure Code. He could approach the high court if he was aggrieved by any decision of the trial court.