Rangers told to arrange Uzair Baloch’s meeting with family

SHC grants interim pre-arrest bail to NAB’s ex-deputy director finance in illegal SPSC appointments case 

Karachi

The Sindh High Court on Monday directed Rangers authorities to allow meeting of lawyers and family members with the detained chief of defunct Peoples Amn Committee, Uzair Baloch, who is under 90-day preventive detention of the paramilitary force under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

Samina submitted in her application that her spouse was being detained by the personnel of law enforcement agencies for the past 11 months and it was now that the Rangers were declaring him to be under 90-day preventive detention.

She requested the court to direct the law enforcement agencies to allow Uzair Baloch to meet his family, as allowed by the law, and also get him the required medical treatment. 

A division bench headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh while disposing of the petition directed the Rangers authorities to arrange a meeting of lawyers and family members with the detainee and also provide him with the required medical care.

Bail granted

The SHC granted interim pre-arrest bail to former deputy director finance in National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) inquiry pertaining to illegal appointment of Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) officers in 2003-04.

Petitioner Ahyan Mustafa Bhutto submitted in the petition that NAB issued call-up notice to her on February 3 about illegal appointments through SPSC in 2003-04. It is pertinent to mention that NAB had issued call-up notices to as many as 50 government officers, including seven deputy district officers, 36 section officers and seven assistant directors, who had been working in different departments of the government.

The petitioner’s counsel sa id no specific charges had been mentioned in the call-up notice and he stated that his client had not committed any wrongful act. He submitted that the petitioner was not the beneficiary of any scam but apprehended arrest by the NAB. The counsel requested the court to grant interim pre-arrest bail to the petitioner.

A division bench headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Sheikh after preliminary hearing of the petition granted interim pre-arrest bail to the petitioner and directed him to join the investigation along with relevant evidence and records, and cooperate with the investigation. The court also issued notices to prosecutor NAB and others for March 30 to confirm bail, or otherwise. The court also granted interim bail to the assistant executive engineer of Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology in the NAB inquiry pertaining to embezzlement of funds.