KARACHI, Oct 3: A court declared the chief of the proscribed People’s Amn Committee and a suspected gangster proclaimed offenders (PO) and ordered attachment of their property in illicit weapons cases on Wednesday.

The court of a judicial magistrate declared Uzair Jan Baloch and Noor Mohammad alias Baba Ladla of the banned PAC and Rehmatullah of the proscribed Baloch Liberation Army proclaimed offenders under Section 87 (proclamation for person absconding) of the criminal procedure code since the police had failed to arrest them despite the court had repeatedly issued their arrest warrants in the last many months.

The court also ordered the attachment of their properties under Section 88 (attachment of property of person absconding) of the CrPC.The CID police arrested Saifullah Bugti, Shamsuddin Bugti and Abdul Ghaffar Bugti, said to be BLA militants, in the Shershah area on May 7 and claimed that explosive material and illicit weapons were found in their possessions.

The suspects were charge-sheeted in which the banned PAC leaders were also named as absconders on the basis of the confessional statements of Saifullah and Abdul Ghaffar, who told before a magistrate that Rehmatullah had been supplying arms and ammunition to them from Balochistan for long and they were delivering it to Noor Mohammad and Uzair Baloch.

A number of cases were lodged against the suspects under Section 4/5 of the Explosive Substance Act and Section 13-D and 13-E of the Arms Ordinance.

Murderer jailed for life

A sessions court sentenced a man to life in prison in a murder case.

The court found Bahar Mohammad guilty of killing Nizamuddin over a monetary dispute in October 2007 within the remit of the Korangi police station.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (east) Manthar Ali Jatoi also imposed a fine of Rs100,000 and in case of default the convict would have to undergo an additional six months in prison.

According to the prosecution, the victim was a shopkeeper and he had a financial dispute with the accused and on Oct 28, 2007 after exchanging hot words the accused shot him dead.

A case (FIR 666/07) was registered against the accused under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of an uncle of the deceased at the Korangi police station.

The prosecution examined many witnesses including an eyewitness and placed medical and other documentary evidence in court in order to prove its case.

The court extended the benefit of Section 382-B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of the criminal procedure code to the convict, who was produced in custody. He was remanded back to prison along with the conviction warrant to serve out the remainder of his sentence.

33 Indian fishermen sent to prison

Thirty-three Indian fishermen remanded in judicial custody by a magistrate on Wednesday for illegally fishing in Pakistani waters.

The Maritime Security Agency had detained the fishermen along with their five boats a few days back as they were found fishing inside the exclusive economic zone of Pakistan and handed them over to the police.

The fishermen were produced before a judicial magistrate (west) for remand. The court sent them to jail till Oct 15.

The court also berated the investigation officer for not providing medical assistance to an injured fisherman and directed him to admit him into the jail ward of the Civil Hospital and submit his medical report along with a charge-sheet on the next hearing.

The fishermen were booked under Sections 3/4 of the Foreigners’ Act and 3/9 of the Fisheries Act at the Docks police station.