Court seeks DG Rangers’ comments on plea filed by Uzair Baloch’s wife

MQM’s Waseem Akhtar granted protective bail in TV interview case; Amir Khan’s interim bail extended

Karachi

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday sought comments of Sindh Rangers Director General, on February 22, on an application filed by wife of notorious Peoples Amn Committee (PAC) gangster Uzair Baloch, seeking his medical examination and permission to meet his family.

Petitioner Samina Uzair submitted that her husband was being held at the Mithadar hostel, under the custody of the Sindh Rangers for a 90-day preventive detention and that his family had not been in contact with him for the past 13 months.

The petitioner also prayed to the court to ensure the paramilitary force conducted a transparent investigation into the charges levelled against her spouse.

With a head money of Rs2 million announced by the Sindh government, Uzair Baloch alias Aziz Jan Baloch was claimed to have been arrested by the Rangers personnel on the morning of January 30 from Karachi’s suburbs, almost a year and a half later then when he was said to have been taken into custody by the Interpol in Dubai; his red warrants were issued on June 11, 2014.

Officials of the paramilitary force had claimed that they had prior intelligence of the accused being present in the area, following which they had alerted law enforcers.

He was produced in an anti-terrorism court (ATC) a day after his arrest where he was remanded into the custody of the Rangers for 90 days, under Section 11-EEEE of the Pakistan Protection Act.

Wanted for over 55 cases of target killings of policemen and rival gang members, extortions, he was the key accused in the brutal murder of another Lyari gang-war ringleader Arshad Pappu. Baloch was in 2005, arrested by a police task-force led by deceased SP Chaudhry Aslam but was later released on bail.

He was said to have taken over the gang, otherwise led by Rehman Dakait – another key leader of the Lyari gang-war – after the latter was shot dead by SP Aslam in an encounter in July 2009.  He had also been declared a proclaimed offender in absentia in a case by an ATC.

Waseem Akhtar bail

Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) mayor-nominee Waseem Akhtar was granted protective bail by the SHC with orders to appear before the trial court concerned within 10 days in a case pertaining to maligning the paramilitary force during an interview given to a private TV channel.

A case against him was registered at the Sohrab Goth police station and SITE police station.

Akhtar while addressing media personnel following the hearing said that he had immense respect for the country’s judiciary and courts, and added that cases against him were registered for political purposes.

Speaking of his probable nomination as the city’s mayor, he said there were ‘great plans’ for development and advancement in store for the city.

Amir Khan’s bail

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) extended the interim bail period of another MQM leader Amir Khan till February 27. He was being tried in a case pertaining to alleged provision of shelter to criminals and terrorists.

A few of those whom he was accused of providing shelter to were declared absconders, and the court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for five co-accused, identified as Minhaj Qazi, Imran Ejaz, Raees Mama, Shehzad Mullah and Naeem Mullah.

The court has ordered the Investigation Officer (IO) to arrest and produce the absconders.

Amir Khan had acquired bail in the case following the expiration of his 90-day remand, granted after his arrest in a raid on the party’s headquarters, Nine Zero, on March 11 last year.

He was, however, strictly ordered to not leave the country without the permission of the court, and personally appear before the court for every hearing.

He was granted bail against a surety bond of Rs1 million.