July 24, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 20, 1429

RAWALPINDI, July 23: An anti-terrorism court here on Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to two men in a kidnapping for ransom case.

ATC-II Judge Sakhi Mohammad Kahot also ordered confiscation of the movable and unmovable properties of the convicts - Sikandar Hayat and Zaheer Ahmed - for kidnapping Muzammil Mumtaz, 12, and demanding Rs1 million for his release.

The father of Mumtaz told the Westridge police on October 5 last year that his son was kidnapped from outside his house and the kidnappers were demanding ransom for his release.

Later, the police traced the culprits through their cellphones and arrested them when they came to collect the ransom amount.

Meanwhile, area magistrate for Saddar Bairooni granted after-arrest bail to a union council nazim in a land grabbing case after the counsel for the accused said that his client had already been absolved of the charges by the investigating officer and a judicial magistrate two years back.

Civil Judge Nadiatuz Zohra Naqvi granted bail to the UC-99 Chontra Nazim Khurram Munir Malik against the surety bond of Rs100,000.

The counsel for the accused Saeed Yousaf Khan, told Dawn that his client was discharged by the police two years ago in the case but they again obtained his two days’ physical remand by concealing the fact of the case. He said he had also moved the court of district and sessions judge against the decision of the magistrate.

Talking to media persons outside the court, Shafqat Munir Malik, the father of the nazim, accused the police of becoming a tool in the hands of his political rivals, adding they had obtained the arrest warrants of his son after concealing the facts of the case.