KARACHI, Sept 16: The chief of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz along with an aide was on Friday remanded in judicial custody for 14 days by a judicial magistrate in two cases of possessing illicit weapons.

The court also released another aide of JSQM chairman Bashir Qureshi on a personal bond.

Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, detained the JSQM chief along with his two aides — Shiraz Ahmed Subhani and Badruddin — on Thursday near his Gulshan-i-Hadeed residence and claimed to have found unlicensed weapons in their possession.

The police brought the nationalist leader and other suspects in an armoured personnel carrier (APC) to district courts, Malir and produced them before the court of Judicial Magistrate (Malir) Abdul Qayyum Syed on Friday.

The police submitted the remand papers and informed the court about the detention of the suspects and recovery of the weapons.

However, the defence counsel submitted that the police had not produced the recovered weapons in court, which was the violation of Section 172 (dairy of proceedings in investigations) of the criminal procedure code.

Arguing that all the weapons found in the possession of the suspects were legal, the defence also produced some documents in court, which they claimed were the licences and permits of the weapons found in the custody of the suspects.

They prayed to the court to release the suspects under Section 63 (discharge of person apprehended) of the CrPC.

The court observed that it had no authority to release the JSQM chief and suspect Badruddin under the said section since heavy weapons including sub-machine guns were recovered from them.

The magistrate observed that it was a sessions trial and sent the JSQM chief and his one aide to prison on 14-day judicial remand.

The court released suspect Shiraz on a personal bond of Rs50,000, as according to the FIR only a pistol was found in his possession. The suspect was directed to appear in court on the next date.

The magistrate ordered the police to verify the documents produced by the defence lawyers and submit a report on Sept 20.

The police also claimed that one of the permits of an SMG shown by the defence was highly doubtful since the number on the permit was not matching with the figures printed on the weapon.

According to the prosecution, the JSQM chief along with his two aides were taken into custody during snap checking near his house by the paramilitary soldiers, who allegedly found illicit weapons in their possession. Later, weapons were also recovered from the residence of the nationalist leader, it added.

Two cases (FIR Nos.256/11 & 258/11) were registered against Bashir Qureshi under Sections 13-D and 13-E of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance, 1965 at the Steel Town police station.

The police also lodged two FIRs (255/11 & 257/11) against Shiraz and Badr under Section 13-D of the Arms Ordinance.

Score of JSQM workers were present on the court premises and chanted slogans when the police produced Mr Qureshi in court for remand.

Following the remand proceedings, Mr Quershi told reporters that he and his associates were carrying licensed weapons.

He alleged that the Rangers and police had failed to take any action against assassins and members of the extortion and land mafia, but were detaining innocent people in a so-called surgical operation.

He criticised the government and Interior Minister Rehman Malik for what he said providing shelter to criminals.