KARACHI: The administrative judge of antiterrorism courts on Tuesday remanded to prison seven suspects who had been arrested for allegedly rioting and attacking police in Orangi on Sunday.

Police booked Mohammad Junaid, Nazimuddin, Fayyaz, Mohammad Shafiq, Imran Ali, Mohammad Anis and Waheed Hussain along with around 35 others under the anti-terror law for allegedly staging a violent protest, rioting and attacking the police on Feb 19 in Orangi Town.

According to the investigating officer, the protesters exchanged fire with police when the latter tried to disperse them. He said that six policemen sustained injuries.

The IO produced the seven detained suspects before the administrative judge for remand and also submitted that two other suspects, Mohammad Zuhaib and Syed Zuhair, were also picked up, but they were later released from the police station under Section 497(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code after they were found innocent.

The administrative judge of ATCs in Karachi sent the suspects to prison on judicial remand till March 6 and directed the IO to submit investigation report till next hearing.

In the remand paper, the police didn’t mention that some of the protesters were also injured in the alleged exchange of fire, and one of them, Asghar Imam, died during treatment at a hospital on Monday.

The incident had occurred at Islam Chowk during protest by area people against robberies and police inefficiency in Orangi Town.

A case was registered against the protesters under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 324 (attempt to commit murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Pakistan Bazaar police station.

Two awarded death for murder

A sessions court sentenced on Tuesday two men to death in a murder case.

Farman Ali and Jahangir were found guilty of killing Hafiz Abul Aala during a robbery in a Gulshan-i-Iqbal area in July 2011.

The additional district and sessions judge (east) Kamran Atta Soomro, who conducted the trial, handed down capital punishment to both accused after recording evidence of witnesses and concluding arguments from both sides.

The court also directed the convicts to pay a compensation of Rs200,000 each to the legal heirs of the deceased and in case of default they would have to undergo an additional six months in captivity.

The judge also awarded five years imprisonment to both men for the offence of robbery. However, the court ruled that the death sentence is subject to the confirmation of high court as required under Section 374 of the CrPC.

The verdict said that the case stood proved against both men beyond the shadow of a doubt since three eyewitness, including the wife and uncle of the deceased and a rickshaw driver, deposed against the accused persons and their testimonies were corroborated by other prosecution witnesses as well as documentary evidence.

According to the prosecution, the victim, along with his wife, children and an uncle, was purchasing fish at a market in Block 6 of Gulshan-i-Iqbal when two armed robbers riding a motorcycle pulled up to them. But when the deceased, who was also carrying a weapon, put up resistance, they killed him and took away his pistol, it added.

Police managed to arrest the accused a couple of weeks later and also seized the weapon used in the crime and the one belonging to the deceased, it concluded.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 396 (dacoity with murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of the brother of the deceased.

Lawyer arrested

Meanwhile, a lawyer registered with the Sindh Bar Council was arrested for allegedly sending indecent and threatening messages to his female colleague, police said.

The City Courts police said that they apprehended the suspect after a female advocate lodged an FIR against him for harassing and threatening her on his mobile phone. The case was registered under Sections 506-B (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of woman) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 25 and 29 of the Telegraph Act.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2017