An anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge granted bail to Shahjahan Baloch, a Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) member of the National Assembly from Lyari, in the Arshad Pappu murder case for a sum of Rs1 million.
Granting the bail during the murder trial at the central prison, the judge observed that Baloch should be released on bail after the fulfillment of the necessary legal proceedings provided that he was not involved in any other case.
Uzair Baloch, Zubair Baloch,Yousuf Baloch,former police inspector Abdur Rehman and Zakir alias Dada are also standing trial for the triple murder of Pappu, his younger brother and a friend in March 2013.
Uzair Baloch, along with his accomplices, allegedly committed the murders to avenge the killing of his father. Uzair Baloch was said to have had help from police officials — Inspector Chand Khan Niazi, then SHOs Yousuf Baloch and Javed Baloch — who are under detention.
The court has issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of absconding gangsters, including Zahid Ladla and Noor Muhammad alias Baba Ladla.
Pappu was abducted from Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in March 2013 and handed over to his rival group headed by Uzair Baloch.
The accused allegedly tortured the three men and beheaded them, after which the killers played football with Pappu’s head. A video of the incident had gone viral on social media.
Pappu had earlier been acquitted in the murder case of Faiz Muhammad alias Mama Faizu, who was Uzair Baloch’s father.
Uzair Baloch, a gangster and leader of the banned People’s Aman Committee, has also been booked in a number of cases pertaining to charges of killings, facilitating killings, possession of illegal arms and explosives and police encounters.
He was arrested by law enforcers, and after facing detention for 90 days, he was later sent to prison on judicial remand by a court.
Heroin smugglers
A court granted five-day physical remand of 12 alleged smugglers of heroin who were arrested on Wednesday by the Maritime Security Agency (MSA).
Customs police told the court that the 12 detainees, including Sultan Ali, Raheem Bukhsh and Hassan Brohi, were trying to smuggle around 100kiglograms of heroin through a boat, but MSA officials arrested them.
The court granted five-day physical remand of the accused for interrogation.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) put off the hearing the murder trial of advocate Mansoob Ali Qureshi till January.
The murder case is being heard against Uzmat Hussain and Hameed alias Pappu.
Both the accused are said to be activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who, along with some absconding accused, had killed Qureshi in 2001 in the area of Arambagh Police Station.
Three absconding accused, Wahab, Nasir and Shehzad, have already been declared pro-claimed offenders.
