September 11, 2008	Thursday	Ramazan 10, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 10: An accountability court indicted on Wednesday a deputy inspector-general of the Sindh police and others on corruption charges.

The accused, DIG Altaf Hussain Bhatti, Ali Ahmed Bhatti, Mohammad Usman Memon, Noor Ahmed Mangi, Mohammad Hussain, Usman G. Memon, Hanni Ram and Haji Mohammad Thain, pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

The judge of accountability court-I, Karachi, Syed Aley Maqbool Rizvi, adjourned the proceedings till Sept 25 and summoned all the prosecution witnesses to testify on the next date of hearing.

The reference (No 59/2007) was filed by the National Accountability Bureau, Sindh, against the accused for their alleged involvement in a land scam case.

On Dec 4, 2007, NAB had arrested DIG Altaf Hussain Bhatti for allegedly misusing his authority while holding a public office and illegally acquiring more than 500 acres of government land in Thatta causing heavy losses to the national exchequer.

According to the reference, the DIG was accused of illegally transferring the pieces of government land under fake names and later on getting them allotted to himself, his family and other relatives.

The DIG and his associates were charged under Sections 9 (4) (corruption and corrupt practices – a holder of a public office, or any other person, is said to commit or to have committed the offence of corruption and corrupt practices {if he by corrupt, dishonest or illegal means obtains or seeks to obtain for himself or for his spouse or dependents or any other person any property, valuable thing, or pecuniary advantage}) of the National Accountability Bureau Ordinance 1999, read with Sections 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471/34 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The administrative judge of accountability courts, Karachi, had remanded DIG Altaf Hussain Bhatti to jail custody on Dec 5, 2007. He had moved a bail application, which was rejected by the High Court of Sindh. Mr Bhatti, however, got bail from the Supreme Court. Other accused were also released on bail.

Murder case

An additional district and sessions judge, Malir, issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of five prosecution witnesses in a murder case registered against Muhajir Quami Movement-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed and directed the police high-ups to arrest and produce them in court on Oct 8.

Judge Mohammad Siddiq Abbasi, who is conducting the trial inside the central prison, had issued repeated notices to investigation officer Hameedullah, inspector Saghir, police constable Zubair and Zulfikar, and the father of deceased Aqil directing them to record their statements. However, they failed to comply with the court’s order.

According to the prosecution, Zubair Ali, son of Mashooq Ali, along with his mother, Rafiqun Nisa, was going to their Nazimabad residence in a cab on July 30, 2002, when they heard gunshots fired in the area. He along with his mother turned towards his sister’s house and when they reached Ammar Yasir Society near Lilly Town, three to four unknown persons allegedly opened fire on the taxi, injuring his mother and the taxi driver, Kafiluddin. The complainant took his mother to Al-Mustafa Trust, while Kafiluddin was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where he succumbed to his injuries.

A case (FIR No 144/2002) was registered under Sections 302, 324, 109/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Malir City police station against Afaq Ahmed, Amir Khan and others, stating that the incident took place on their behest.