September 02, 2008	Tuesday	Ramazan 1, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 1: A special control of narcotics substance court sentenced two drug peddlers to life imprisonment in a drug smuggling case on Monday.

The court found the accused, Imran and Adnan, guilty of possessing 18 kilograms of heroin powder and trying to smuggle it abroad.Judge Rubina Khan of the special CNS-II pronounced the judgment after recording the final arguments from both sides.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each, and in case of non-payment of the fine the accused will have to undergo an additional imprisonment of two years each. The judge in her verdict observed that the prosecution had proved its case against the accused by producing sufficient witnesses and evidence before the court.

The prosecution said the excise police had arrested the accused on April 15, 2007 at the Karachi airport while they were trying to smuggle the drug abroad and seized 18 kilograms of heroin powder from them.

The prosecution produced about 10 witnesses before the court.

A case (FIR 33/07) was registered against the accused under Section 6/9-C of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997.

In the final arguments, public prosecutor Jan Mohammad Marwat submitted that the prosecution had successfully proved the involvement of the accused in the case and said that all witnesses in their statements also confirmed that 18 kilograms of heroin was seized from the possession of the accused. He pleaded for the award of capital punishment to the accused.

The defence counsel told the court that his clients were innocent and falsely implicated in the case as the prosecution did not provide adequate evidence to link the accused with the crime, and requested the court to acquit his clients.

A Nigerian national was the co-accused in the case. However, the court acquitted him giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Corruption case

The same court put off the hearing till Sept 10 on an application filed by a former superintendent of the Central Prison against his alleged unlawful confinement and directed the investigation officer to submit his reply on next hearing.

Ex-jailer Pir Shabbir Jan Sirhandi was arrested for his alleged involvement in a corruption case and was handed over to the anti-corruption establishment on Aug 12.

The suspect through his counsel moved an application stating that the police and jail authorities had kept him in illegal detention. The court, on the pervious hearing, had directed the jail officials and the IO to submit their replies on Monday. However, the investigation officers sought more time while the jail authorities submitted their report to the court in this regard.

According to the prosecution, Mr Sirhandi with his associates had allegedly tortured an inmate of the Central Prison and collected Rs3.5 million as a bribe from him.

A case (FIR 25/08) against the police officials was registered under Section 161 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Anti-corruption Establishment, Karachi.