Sehwan court acquits journalist

KARACHI: Another journalist proved was exonerated by court in a case registered under Anti-Terrorism Act (7-ATA) against him and his relatives.

The Sehwan’s Court acquitted senior journalist and former president of Sehwan Press Club Yasin Rind and his relatives in a case registered against them under Anti-Terrorism Act (7-ATA) by Sehwan Police on August 7, 2017. As many as 27 cases were registered against over 50 journalists in last three years for alleged heinous crimes specially under section of Anti-Terrorism Act. Out of the 27 cases, journalists proved innocent in 18 cases while the remaining nine cases are under trial in different courts of province. Discussing the case against Yasin Rind, President of Sehwan Press Club KK Burdi termed it to be the worst example of misuse of authority and police brutality. According to Burdi before registering the said case, Yasin Rind was brutally tortured, tied to a Police mobile that patrolled the main roads of Sehwan to terrorise the people allegedly on the directions of ASP Sehwan, who according to him was annoyed with the local journalists due to their coverage against rising incidence of crimes in Sehwan.

In the first case, Muhammad Farooq Abbasi, the First Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate, Sehwan concluded that the prosecution had miserably failed to prove its case against the accused and acquitted them. In another case registered under ATC sections against Yasin and his relatives on the compliant of a sub-inspector, the ATC judge, Hyderabad on August 8, 2017 cancelled the ATA 7 and referred the case to District and Sessions Court Jamshoro. He also rejected the police’s plea for physical remand and instead sent him to Central Jail Hyderabad for 14 days. The case was subsequently transferred to Additional District and Sessions Court, Sehwan and finally to Civil and Judicial Magistrate Court Sehwan for regular proceedings.

According to FIR against Yasin Rind, the President of Sehwan's Press Club and his accomplices had thrashed a policeman Zameer Panhwar at the police command and control centre at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's shrine.

The altercation resulted when the police told the group to leave the women section of the shrine. The Sehwan Police registered ATA sections against journalist Yasin Rind and his relatives Chanesar Rind, Rashid Rind, Wajid Rind, Aijaz Rind, Soof Kalhoro, Saddar Machhi and eight other unidentified men. Yasin's relatives and other local journalists claim that they had gone to the control room to bring the situation under control and at no point of time the journalist violated law.

Senior journalist Yaseen Rind alleged that a police high-up at that time had a personal grudge against him and other journalists due to their reporting over the increasing ratio of crimes in the area.