February 20, 2008	Wednesday	Safar 12, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 19: The judicial magistrate, West, Irum Jehangir, on Tuesday granted bail to a candidate of the Pakistan People’s Party against a surety bond of Rs25,000.

Syed Zia Alam, who contested the Feb 18 elections from PS-95, was booked by the Rangers for allegedly kidnapping a presiding officer, Farid Awan, from the Shaheen Public School polling station in Site Town. He was later handed over to the police.

According to the prosecution, the accused, along with an associate, Mohammad Hussain, kidnapped the presiding officer and took him to some unknown place. The police also recovered a TT pistol and one 7mm rifle with 20 rounds from the possession of the PPP candidate.

Representing the accused, Muzaffar Iqbal Sufi advocate submitted before the court that his client had been politically victimised and no weapons had been recovered from his possession as the prosecution had not produced those weapons in court.

The police had registered a case (FIR-50/08) against the accused at Pak Bazar police station under Section 13-D of the arms ordinance.