KARACHI, Oct 1: A division bench of the Sindh High Court, # comprising Justice Shabbir Ahmed and Justice Muhammad Sadiq Leghari, on Tuesday allowed an appeal setting aside the life term awarded to an appellant convicted in a kidnapping for ransom case.

Shakir Aftab Siddiqui, convict/appellant, through his counsel Fazal Dad Khan advocate, challenged his conviction and sentence by ADJ-I central, Ahmed Nawaz Shaikh.

According to the prosecution, Syed Zubair Ali had lodged a complaint with the Gulbahar police that he was kidnapped on 22-7-1995 along with Soofi Akhtar Jamil and Rizwan by some unidentified gunmen from near Gujar Nala.

The accused had allegedly robbed them off of all cash and demanded a ransom of Rs0.2 million for their release. The accused was arrested after an alleged encounter with police when he was taking Zubair in the boot of a car with the intention of killing him.

The case was challenged before ADJ who held accused guilty of the offence and sentenced him to suffer life imprisonment.

Fazal Dad Khan Advocate, arguing out the appeal before the SHC bench, submitted that the court had sentenced the appellant on the basis of the single evidence of the SHO Gulbahar who bore malice to the accused, and no other witness was examined by the prosecution. Therefore, the counsel contended, it was a case of no evidence. The bench, after hearing the arguments of the counsel for appellant, set aside the conviction and sentence.

Another SHC full bench, comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani, Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice S. Ali Aslam Jafri, heard and reserved orders on a habeas corpus petition filed against detention of Aurangzeb Yousufzai Advocate who was sentenced by an election tribunal comprising Justice Zawwar Hussain Jaffery and Justice Muhammad Sadiq Leghari, on charge of contempt of court.

Justice (rtd) Rasheed A. Razvi and Aslam Butt appeared for the detainee, while the deputy attorney general Sindh, represented the Sindh Government.—APP