KARACHI, Aug 29: Justice Shabbir Ahmed of the Sindh High Court, who is also the administrative judge of Anti Terrorism Courts (ATCs) for the Karachi division, on Friday remanded three kidnappers to the custody of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell, Garden, till Sept 4.
The accused Ghulam Hussain Soomro, Muhammed Akbar and Imran Yousuf were earlier produced before the AJ by the investigating officer of the case, seeking fifteen days of physical custody.
The three were nabbed on Thursday by the cell from the den of the notorious drug peddler Haji Laloo during a raid in Jahanabad, Shershah.
Abdul Samad, son of a local businessman Hanif Memon, was also recovered from the possession of the kidnappers during the raid. The alleged kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs3 million for his realeas.
OIL-SLICK CASE: Justice Ata-ur-Rahman of the Sindh High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing of a suit filed against the Karachi Port Trust, the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation and other respondents till September 15.
When the matter was taken up, Mr Shaiq Usmani appeared on behalf of the KPT and sought time to go through the plaint and other documents.
Barrister Kamal Azfar represented the petitioner MNA Sherry Rahman. The bench acceded to the request made by the counsel for the respondent and put off the hearing till Sept 15.
The petitioner, filing a public interest litigation sued against the KPT, the PNSC, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the ministry of communication and others for damages worth Rs10 billion due to the spilling of crude oil from the oil tanker Tasman Spirit that ran aground on July 28 near the Clifton beach.
The counsel for plaintiff submitted before the bench on Friday that so far 400,00 tonnes of crude oil had spilled, devastating marine life.
PLEA DISMISSED: A division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali and Justice Muhammad Mujeebullah Siddiqui on Friday dismissed the appeal of Iqbal Ahmed Turabi, an ex-official of the Pakistan State Oil (PSO), his wife Ms Najama Turabi, and Hasan Raza, a relative, against the sentence awarded to them by an accountability court in Karachi.
Applicant Iqbal Turabi was sentenced to 10 years of RI with Rs95-million fine by the Accountability Court Karachi on May 31, 2002. While Ms Najama Turabi and Hasan Raza were also sentenced to five years of RI with Rs95-million fine and five years of RI with Rs3-million fine respectively by the said NAB court.
NAB references were filed against them for misappropriation and accumulation of huge sums and property by doubtful sources of income during Mr Turabi’s tenure from 1987 to July 1998. He allegedly transferred movable and immovable properties to his relatives. The judgment was reserved on July 02, 2003 on conclusion of final arguments from both sides.
The court in its judgment held that the prosecution had established its case up to the hilt against the appellants.
“The trial court rightly convicted all the accused and the convictions awarded are hereby upheld,” the court order said.
The court, however, reduced the to Rs25 million imposed by the trial court on Iqbal Turabi and his wife, it also decreased the fine imposed on Hasan Raza to Rs20,000,00, for the prosecution could not properly establish the nature of the assets of the appellants.
Advocate Azizullah K Sheikh appeared for the applicants while deputy prosecutor general NAB, Anwar Tariq, represented the state.—APP/PPI
