November 01, 2008	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 2, 1429

KARACHI, Oct 31: A public prosecutor, while exercising his powers given under the prosecution ordinance, has cancelled a charge-sheet in a case registered against the then additional secretary health of Sindh government and others because it did not carry any evidence against the suspects.

The case (FIR No 452/2008) was registered on a court order under Sections 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement) and 605 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code at Preedy police station. Dr Nawaz Ali Mallah, a child specialist in

Civil Hospital Karachi, had move an application under Section 22-A of the CrPC in the court pleading for the registration of a case.

Dr Ali stated in the FIR that he went to the office (in Sindh Secretariat) of the former additional secretary health, Manzoor Ahmed Memon (presently posted as additional secretary in excise and taxation department), regarding his posting on June 13, 2008 when Mr Menom, his staff and policemen manhandled him, detained him for an hour and threatened him of dire consequences. The complainant also alleged that the policemen deprived him of cash on Mr Memon’s behest.

The investigation officer, stating that there was no evidence against the accused at present, had submitted the charge-sheet in Class A.

The public prosecutor, Abdul Maharoof, said that he cancelled the charge-sheet after scrutinising all the police papers as he found no evidence against the accused.

According to the statements of Secretary Health Shafiq Ahmed Khoso, the former special secretary home, Shafqat Abbassi, and Dr Qalandar Bukhsh of the health department, no such incident took place in the office of additional secretary health, he added.

The public prosecutor directed the investigation officer to submit the report in Class C (cancel), adding that the case would be discharged after the report’s submission.