KARACHI: Ex-PAF official convicted for attack on DIG
KARACHI, Nov 26: An anti-terrorism court, headed by Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch, on Saturday sentenced a man to aggregate 17 years prison for attempting to murder DIG Investigation, possessing illegal weapon and creating sense of fear and insecurity in minds of police force and people.
According to the prosecution, Bashir Khan Awan, 54, a retired PAF official, came at the office of DIG Investigation Manzoor Mughal to submit his application to expedite investigation into his case. The DIG escaped unhurt from life attempt committed by the accused. He was arrested immediately after the incident in July.
Announcing the judgment after the trial, Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch sentenced Bashir to seven years prison for committing attempt to murder on DIG with fine of Rs50,000, five years prison for possessing unlicensed TT pistol and five years prison for creating sense of fear and insecurity in minds of police force and inhabitant of the locality.
The court observed that the accused committed an offence in which police officer had been attempted to murder in his office while performing his duties despite of strict security arrangements around him. The court further noted that this incident obviously compelled people to think that they were unsafe and by committing such act the accused created sense of fear and insecurity in general public as well as the police force.
About testimony of DIG Manzoor Mughal, a star witness who received minor injuries by firearm during scuffle with the accused, the court observed that he was responsible police officer of Sindh government and there was no reason to disbelieve that such a responsible government officer was to make false statement especially when no enmity had been shown with him by the accused.
Pearl case: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday adjourned hearing of trial against Mohammad Hashim alias Arif, one out of the five proclaimed offenders arrested by police in Daniel Pearl case, till Dec 17.
The accused was not produced before the court, as the matter regarding trial of the accused, whether inside jail premises or in the court, was not decided yet by the home department.
Jail authorities submitted in report that a reference had been moved to Sindh home department regarding issuance of fresh notification for inside jail trial of the accused, as he was co-accused of Sheikh Omer, who was convicted by the trial court. Therefore, the under trial prisoner could not be produced, it submitted.
The ATC headed by Judge Feroz Mehmood Bhatti withdrew the production order and fixed the matter for Dec 17.
According to the prosecution, Daniel Pearl, the US national and South Asian region bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped on Jan 23, 2002 from Karachi and later beheaded by his captors in failure in fulfilling their demands.
The main accused Ahmed Omer Sheikh was sentenced to death on charges of kidnapping and killing the US journalist, and his three accomplices Fahad Naseem, Syed Salman Saqib and Sheikh Muhammad Adil were sentenced to life imprisonment, with fine of Rs500,000 each by ATC Hyderabad on July 15, 2002.
CONVICTED: Judge Arshad Noor Khan of an anti-terrorism court on Saturday sentenced a gangster to five years prison in extortion case.
Following the trial, Dur Mohammad Baloch, stated to have been gangster of Arshad Pupoo group, was found guilty of receiving extortion from hardware businessman in Shershah.
The court, however, exonerated the other co-accused Mohammad Saleem Baloch from the charges giving him benefit of doubt as his involvement in offence could not be proved by the prosecution. They were arrested by police on June 11 from Shershah.—PPI
