KARACHI, Oct 27: The district and sessions judge, Central, Ghulam Qadir Leghari, acquitted Dr Farooq Sattar and Kunwar Khalid Younus, the central leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, in two different cases.
The judge exonerated the two leaders and two other workers of the Muttahida from the charges of rioting, arsoning and violent activities as the prosecution failed to prove the allegations.
The case was registered on May 1, 1994 by the New Karachi police against the Muttahida leaders and workers for setting a minibus on fire during violent activities.
The second case was registered by the same police on May 5, 1994 against Muttahida leaders, including Dr Farooq Sattar and Kunwar Khalid Younus.
The two were booked for setting a National Saving Centre in New Karachi on fire and snatching the official rifle of the watchman posted there.
Party chief Altaf Hussain, Dr Imran Farooq, Waseem Akhter, Prof A. K. Shams and other partymen were declared absconders in this case.
ACQUITTED: An Accountability court acquitted on Saturday three accused, including two officials of the Karachi Development Authority, in a land allotment case.
Judge Rahmat Hussain Jafferi of Accountability Court No 3 acquitted Mumtazul Haq, assistant director of the KDA, and clerk Shaukat Ali and S. M. Madani, giving them the benefit of doubt.
The three were prosecuted for illegally allotting 27 plots in Qasba Colony in 1998.
HAKIM ZARDARI: The accountability court, headed by Judge Aziz Memon, indicted Hakim Ali Zardari, former MNA and father of Asif Ali Zardari, in a corruption case.
The case pertained to raising assets and properties, including a house in France, through illegal means.
The court ordered the prosecution to produce its witnesses on the next date of hearing.
SENTENCED MAINTAINED: Judge Khan Pervaiz Chang of the Anti- terrorism court No. 4 maintained on Saturday the sentence of three rapist of a 10-year-old boy.
Earlier on May 6, the judge had convicted and sentenced Nadir Khan, Nadim Ahmed and Kamran, to two separate terms, totalling 12 years, for kidnapping the victim and then committing sodomy with him on Feb 2 in Chakiwara, by an Anti-terrorism court.
The three, however, challenged their conviction in an appeal before the Sindh High Court, which remanded the case back to the trial court for a retrial.
The judge again recorded the statements of the accused persons under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code as per the direction of the SHC. He also heard the arguments from the prosecution and the defence.
The judge again sentenced the three accused to a seven-year term under section 364 (A) for kidnapping the boy and a five-year term for committing sodomy with him.
The accused had kidnapped the boy on Feb 2 near Jhatpat Chowk on Wali Muhammed Road a little after dusk. They took the victim to Izzat Khan Jokhio School, where they raped him.
The rapists also threatened the victim of killing him if he uttered a word about the incident. The boy, however, told his uncle about the incident and a case was registered with the Chakiwara police against them.
The three, arrested on the same night by the then SHO Qamaruz Zaman, were also ordered by the court to pay Rs10,000 each as compensation to their victim.
