Four MQM-P men jailed for 21 years for possessing explosives

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) awarded on Monday 21 years’ imprisonment to each of four activists of a political party for possessing illegal arms and explosive material.

Muhammad Yaqoob, Zulqairnain Ahmed, Haider Ali and Imran Ali of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs50,000 each.

The four had been arrested in the Federal B Area police jurisdiction for possessing illegal arms and explosive material.

The ATC judge, who conducted the trial in a court housed at the central prison, noted that the prosecution had succeeded in proving the charges against the four men and it was fair to convict them and sentence each one of them to 21 years in jail.

KE men remanded

The court of a judicial magistrate (West) remanded three employees of the K-Electric (KE) facing charges of stealing electricity wire to prison on judicial remand. 

Muhammad Faraz, Muhammad Yousuf and Farrukh Fraz are alleged to have stolen copper wires the Clifton area. 

Another accused, KE supervisor Zulfiqar Ali, is absconding. The investigation officer (IO) told the court that the four employees of the power utility had been stealing copper wire and selling it to traders in the Shershah Market.  The court directed the IO to submit the final charge sheet against the accused at the next hearing.

Sea-bathing ban

Seventy people booked for bathing in the sea on various beaches of the city in violation of a Section 144 ban were granted bail on Monday for Rs5,000 each by judicial magistrates of (South and West).  

The investigation officers said the violators were warned to avoid bathing in the sea, but they did not follow directives and police had to arrest them.  The citizens alleged that bribes were demanded from them by police, and many people who met the police demand were released, but those who did not do so were arrested.