Home department told to submit report on failure to produce Shahrukh Jatoi in court

A local court on Wednesday directed the Sindh home ministry to present a report with regard to the failure to produce Shahrukh Jatoi for hearings in a fraud case. The special public prosecutor informed the judicial magistrate that more than five years had passed yet the charges had not been framed against the accused because of his absence from hearings.

The court previously issued a show-cause notice to the superintendent of Malir Prison for failing to present Jatoi, who is also the key accused in the 2012 murder case of Shahzeb Khan. The defense attorney submitted that his client was in prison as per the Supreme Court’s orders, upon which the judicial magistrate directed the prison authorities to present a report and rush Jatoi to the court.

A fraud case was registered by the Federal Investigation Agency against Jatoi after he exited the country using fake documents in the aftermath of Shahzeb Khan's murder on December 27, 2012, while an anti-terrorism court awarded him and another accused capital punishment in the murder case in 2013.

However, in November 2017, the Sindh High Court set aside the death sentence, saying that the case should be tried by a regular court instead. The Supreme Court (SC) then took notice of Jatoi's acquittal and ordered for him to be arrested till the disposal of the murder case.

In the fraud case, Jatoi is being tried along with Nawab Jatoi, Umar Domki, Abu Bakar Domki and others who helped him leave the country. A judicial magistrate of District Malir has already granted bail in the sum of Rs100,000 to the main accused but he continues to be detained as per SC’s orders.

The authorities concerned said that it was not possible for them to present Jatoi in the court due to a security threat. The court has now directed the home department to present a detailed report to this effect.