January 13, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 03, 1429

KARACHI, Jan 12: The jail trial of former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal resumed here on Saturday by an anti-terrorism court headed by its newly-appointed judge Ahmed Nawaz Shaikh who will indict the accused on January 26.

The chief of his own faction of Balochistan National Party, Mr Mengal was being tried inside the Central Prison Karachi for allegedly kidnapping two personnel of an intelligence agency.

Special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum told Dawn that the case was not being heard since November as the court fell vacant after the transfer of Judge Saghir Hussain Zaidi. He said that the government had recently appointed Ahmed Nawaz Shaikh as the judge of ATC-3, and regular hearings of the case was expected from now onward.

With regard to Saturday’s proceedings, he said that January 26 had been as the next date of hearing to frame charges on the accused.

Defence counsel Wazeer Khoso was also present.

According to prosecution, Akhtar Mengal along with his four guards had kidnapped two army personnel namely Havaldar Qurban Hussain and Lance Naik Fayaz Ahmed on April 5, 2006 when they were performing intelligence duty. The accused, according to the prosecution, made both the personnel hostage at his house in Darakhshan police limits and tortured them with an intention to kill them.

The military personnel were released from the captivity after police and Rangers laid siege on Mengal’s house.

On a complaint of Havaldar Qurban Hussain, an FIR was registered against the BNP chief and his four employees at Darakhshan police station.

Akhtar Mengal was declared proclaimed offender and his four guards were arrested and tried by an ATC which convicted them on December 9, 2006. While sentencing them an aggregate of 45 years in prison, court also ordered confiscation of the property of Nasarullah Mengal, Ghulam Hyder Langah alias Chappar, Mehboob Ali Satti and Ghulam Qadir and imposed a fine of Rs140,000 each.

Later, police arrested Mr Mengal and submitted challan of the case before the ATC.