SHC directs govt to explain shifting of suspect’s trial to military court

Karachi

The Sindh High Court directed the federal and provincial law officers on Monday to file comments on a petition filed by the family of a suspect in the Safoora Goth bus attack case against the federal government’s decision to shift his trial from an anti-terrorism court to a military court.

Naeem Sajid’s family submitted in the petition that police and other LEAs had illegally detained him for over three months and later falsely implicated him in the Safoora Goth bus attack case.

Their counsel submitted that the decision to shift Sajid’s trial from an ATC       to a military court was based on a “random-choosing” policy.

He submitted that elements of discretion were also apparent as many FIRs were lodged against activists and office-bearers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and a trial under way against former federal minister Dr Asim Hussain, but none of these cases had been shifted to a military court.

The counsel also submitted that Sajid’s case did not fall in the newly sub-section (4) of section 2 of the Pakistan Army Act on the ground of inconsistency in different sections of Protection of Pakistan Act.

An SHC division bench directed the federal law officer, the additional prosecutor general and others to file comments on the petition. On the family’s application against not allowing them to meet Sajid at the central prison, the government law officer assured that the meeting would be arranged in prison if he was incarcerated in the central prison.

SSGC officer plea

Shoaib Warsi, a former acting managing director of the Sui Southern Gas Company, was involved in corruption and had illegally allotted gas field contracts to private companies without tenders and recruited people, the National Accountability Bureau told the SHC.

Filing comments on a petition against Warsi’s detention in a NAB reference, the bureau’s prosecutor said the former MD was involved in corruption and causing losses to the national exchequer.

He submitted that the accused was involved illegally awarding contracts for Kunar Pakasi Deep, Bobi, Sinjoro and Naimat Basal gas fields to private companies without floating tenders and also illegal appointing employees.