Rangers seek transfer of 50 terrorism cases

Karachi
Sindh Rangers requested on Friday the Sindh High Court chief justice, Justice Maqbool Baqar, to transfer trials of 50 terrorism-related cases from the sessions and anti-terrorism courts (ATC) of Karachi to other cities in the province.
Sources said the request was made in a letter sent by the DG Rangers. The Rangers authorities said the criminals involved in targeted killings, extortion, explosive substance cases had grave security concerns; a list of the cases was also submitted.
According to the list 33 suspects affiliated with political parties, banned outfits and Lyari gangs were facing trials in more than 50 terrorism related cases.
According to sources five cases were pending with the courts of the judicial magistrate, district and session judges of district central while all the other cases were pending trial before an anti-terrorism court.
Justice Baqar had in February, 2014 granted the provincial government the request and allowed transferring 92 terrorism related trials to ATCs of Hyderabad, Sukkur, Shikarpur and Khairpur.

Judicial commission
SHC CJ nominated Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar as head of the judicial commission to probe the killing of Muttahida Quami Movement’s (MQM) activist Faraz Alam in police custody.
Sindh government had requested the CJ to constitute a judicial commission for ascertaining the cause of death, allegedly killed in Korangi police station during interrogation.
A relative of the deceased, Syed Mateen Hussain had also moved the court against the issue.
In a petition submitted by him, he maintained that Faraz Alam, 22, had been picked up by police personnel on December 28, 2014 from Malir and was implicated in false cases after being kept in unlawful detention for several days.
He submitted that the illegal detention was challenged in the SHC and that police during petition disclosed arresting the detainee on false charges.
He alleged that his nephew was brutally tortured by the personnel of the Khokrapar and Korangi police stations and later succumbed to his injuries.
He submitted that Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah and Information Minister Sharjeel Memon assured of an inquiry, however, neither an inquiry was conducted nor an action was taken against officials involved in the death.
He requested the court to order a judicial probe into his death and also direct concerned police station to register an FIR against the personnel.