KARACHI, Aug 16: The police formally arrested a proclaimed offender in the Danial Pearl murder case on Tuesday and submitted a report to the SHC administrative judge for the Karachi division anti-terrorism courts, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain.

Justice Hussain asked the investigation officer to submit a report to the anti-terrorism court-III of Karachi, where the dormant cases of other absconders in the case were already pending. Mohammad Hashim alias Arif was arrested from Gujranwala on Aug 6 and remanded by a judicial magistrate to police custody in the murder of Mohammad Aslam in the jurisdiction of Artillery Maidan police station till Aug 17. A petition moved by his brother against his arrest in another murder case was dismissed by the high court on Monday.

AAG Habib Ahmed, earlier, submitted that while convicting four accused in the Pearle murder case, the Hyderabad anti-terrorism court had directed that the cases for five absconding co-accused might be tried by a Karachi anti-terrorism court. The dormant file was transferred from Hyderabad to Karachi.

Meanwhile, the cross-appeals filed by the state and the four convicts could not be heard by a division bench, comprising Justices Ghulam Rabbani and Azizullah M. Memon, due to paucity of time. Ahmed Omar Shaikh, who was sentenced to death, and Fahd Nasim, Salman Saquib and Shaikh Mohammad Adil, who were awarded life terms, have challenged their conviction and sentences while the prosecution seeks enhancement of life imprisonment to death.

PPP MAN’S PLEA: The bench disposed of a petition by former PPP provincial law minister Pir Mazharul Haq against his harassment by the police and the National Accountability Bureau. Additional Advocate-General M. Sarwar Khan and NAB Deputy Prosecutor-General Sharafat Shirazi denied the allegation and said the petition was based on suspicion and apprehension. No action in violation of the law would be taken against the petitioner, they assured. The bench disposed of the petition in terms of the assurance.