February 21, 2002	Thursday	Zilhaj 8, 1422

KARACHI, Feb 20: The accountability court No. 5, headed by Judge Aziz Memon, convicted an accused in a corruption reference in absentia and awarded him a three-year term for “deliberately avoiding” the court proceedings against him.

Accused Pervaiz Ahmed Dahiri was the co-accused in reference No 1-B/2001 against his father-in-law, Allah Dinno Dahiri, a former executive engineer of the highway authorities.

The two were booked in the case for amassing wealth and assets of over Rs230 million through illegal means.

Accused Allah Dinno Dahiri, who is also the paternal uncle of the absconding accused, is in custody.

The judge also disqualified the absconding accused from holding any public office for 10 years.

The sentence will begin when the accused is arrested.

ASIF BURGER: The district and sessions judge, Central, Zafar Ahmed Sherwani, acquitted a worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a robbery-cum-murder case.

The judge exonerated Muhammed Asif alias Asif Burger from all charges as the prosecution could not establish its case against him.

The Muttahida worker was prosecuted for killing the son of complainant Iqbal Bano during an abortive robbery at her house in 2000 in the limits of the Sharifabad police.

DRIVER CONVICTED: The additional district and sessions judge, Central, Nauman Memon, sentenced a public transport driver to a 10-year term for killing a man by his reckless driving.

The judge also ordered Muhammed Farooq, driver of a minibus of route ‘W-11’, to pay Rs251,625 as Diyat, which, if paid, would be deposited in the treasury as the victim, a vagabond heroin addict, was not identified.

He had killed the victim in the limits of the Federal B. Industrial Area police.

BANDIT JAILED: The additional district and session judge, Ghulam Qadir Leghari, sentenced a robber to suffer rigorous imprisonment for three years.

Accused Masoodur Rahman was arrested in 1997 in the limits of the New Karachi police.

Meanwhile, the judicial magistrate at the Judicial Complex on the premises of the Central Prison, Azmat Ali Khan, sentenced Abdur Rahman to a two-year term for possessing an unlicensed weapon.

The man, arrested in 1999 by the Orangi Extension police, was also fined Rs500 by the judge, who ordered that the convict would have to undergo an additional two-month term in case of default on the payment.

The same JM sentenced Abdul Waheed, prosecuted for possessing an unlicensed TT pistol, to suffer rigorous imprisonment for 32 months.

The accused, arrested in June, 1999 by the Orangi Extension police, was also fined Rs4,000. The judge ordered that the convict would have to undergo an additional two-moth term in case of default o the payment.