An anti-terrorism court handed down a punishment of 50 years in jail to a man on Friday for killing a Rangers soldier and another person.
Muhammad Athar killed a Rangers soldier, Munaaf, and another man, Farhan, in separate incidents in the areas falling in the jurisdictions of the Kalakot and Super Market police stations respectively in 2013.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 200,000 on the convict, who had claimed that he had committed the crimes along with an accomplice. However, the court found the co-accused to be innocent.
The court announced the acquittal of the co-accused and declared that the convict as a whole would face 50 year imprisonment for murdering two men. The mother of Farhan was the complainant against the convict.
Uzair Baloch
Separately, an ATC indicted banned People’s Aman Committee chief Uzair Baloch and his accomplice Amin Buledi in a case pertaining to the possession of illegal arms and explosive material.
The two men pleaded not guilty and the court summoned the prosecution witnesses for presenting evidence against them.
The prosecution said in 2013 during a police operation in Lyari, the two men had attacked police using illegal weapons and bombs.
Uzair Baloch faces dozens of murder cases. Amin Buledi and Pakistan People’s Party MNA Shahjahan are facing separate cases of murder and other crimes.
MQM activist
Another ATC indicted an activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Shahid alias Japani, in the murder case of KDA director Abdul Jabbar Mangi in 2013. The accused pleaded not guilty and the court directed the investigation officer of the case to produce prosecution witnesses on March 25.
The prosecution said Shahid along with two absconders had killed Mangi on the orders of their leadership. The court also issued non-bailable warrants against the two absconders.
Hotel fire
The additional district and sessions judge (South) extended the interim bail period of five men in the Regent Plaza fire case till March 11.
Zubairuddin Baweja, Muzafar Baweja, Saad, Arshad Javed and Pervez Saleem were booked by the Saddar police for the accidental death of 12 people and injuries to 75 others in a fire at the hotel on December 5.
Their attorneys told the court that an out-of-court agreement was expected to be signed by the stakeholders soon.
The attorneys prayed to the court to adjourn the hearing and extend the interim bail period.
Previously, the investigation officer of the court had prayed to the court to give him further time to submit a supplementary charge sheet.
The five accused men had approached the SHC for pre-arrest bail. The SHC had granted them bail and directed them to approach the trial court.
The trial court later confirmed the bail and extended its period.
According to an inquiry report, the management of the hotel had not only failed to follow its security plan, but was also unable to inform the emergency services in time.
Police said the fire had erupted in the kitchen on the ground floor of the four-star hotel on Sharea Faisal, and swept through the building, trapping scores of hotel guests in their rooms.
The applicants’ counsel submitted that fire was accidental and there was no negligence by the management. He submitted that the members of the management were willing to cooperate with the investigation but apprehended their arrest.
The court granted pre-arrest bail to the applicants and directed them to surrender before the trial court within four days. The city’s fire brigade department had completed its probe into the fire and declared the blaze “accidental” in nature.
Chief Fire Officer Tehseen Ahmed had ruled out any possibility of sabotage in the fire.
Ahmed said while the cause of the fire was not completely clear, notions of foul play behind the tragedy were unfounded.
The chief fire officer further said that it seemed likely that the blaze originated in the hotel’s kitchen. The victims included four district health officers of Sindh and Balochistan. The five accused firstly were granted bail on December 10 and the trial court kept up extending the interim bail period.