Uzair Baloch acquitted in three more cases

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday acquitted alleged Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch in three more cases pertaining to charges of kidnapping, murder, encounter with police and terrorism for “want of evidence”.

The chief of the proscribed Peoples Aman Committee (PAC) has been nominated in around 60 cases involving murder, abduction, extortion, encounter and terrorism charges. He has already been given a clean-chit in over 20 cases.

The ATC-VII judge, while conducting trial in the judicial complex inside the central jail, pronounced the verdict that he had reserved after hearing arguments from both defence and prosecution sides in the three cases. He observed that the prosecution had no evidence to prove the charges against the accused and ordered his immediate release if his custody was not required in any other case.

However, his immediate release was not possible as he was facing trial in over a dozen similar criminal cases pending before different anti-terrorism courts, observed the judge.

Baloch’s lawyer Abid Zaman had argued that there was no evidence to corroborate the charges against his client, adding that he had been assigned no specific role in the commission of these crimes, nor had the prosecution had any eyewitness in the court to testify or identify the accused. Hence, he pleaded with the court to acquit Baloch for lack of evidence.

According to the prosecution, the Kalri police had booked the PAC chief after his aides Zubair Baloch and Zafar Baloch alias Langra and others for kidnapping two members of the rival Katchi Rabitta Committee -- Imran and Ali Muhammad-- on his instructions on February 15, 2012. Later, abductee Ali Muhammad was killed by the alleged abductors.

An FIR was lodged under sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting with intent to murder), 302 (premeditated murder), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, at the Kalri police station. The same ATC acquitted Baloch and his accomplices Zakir alias Dada and Muhammad Shahid in two identical cases related to an encounter with police.

Uzair Baloch, Zafar Baloch, Shahid Rehman, Noor Muhammad alias Ladla, Ali alias Bitai and other alleged gangsters had allegedly attacked the personnel with fire, rockets and hand grenades during a joint operation launched against them by law enforcement agencies in February 2012.

The Kalakot police had lodged cases under various sections, including 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from dishcarge of his duty, read with Sections 3/4 of the Explosive Act and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.