KARACHI: Police on Friday informed the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts in Karachi that they released seven suspects for want of evidence in a case pertaining to an attack on the Karachi Press Club (KPC).

The seven suspects — Abdul Qadir, Muhammad Raza, Imran, Umair Khan, Zafar Iqbal, Irfan and Khawaja Raza — said to be affiliated with the students’ wing of a religious party, were arrested on March 28 for their alleged involvement in the case.

However, the investigation officer submitted a report under Section 497(2) of the criminal procedure code in court stating that no incriminating evidence was found against the suspects to connect them with the alleged offence during the investigation. He added that three media persons, who sustained injuries in the attack, did not identify the suspects.

The administrative judge directed the IO to submit an investigation report as required under Section 173 of the CrPC. According to the prosecution, the Anjuman Talba-i-Islam, the student wing of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan-Noorani, had staged a demonstration on March 27 in front of the KPC to mark the chehlum of Mumtaz Qadri, but the participants turned violent and set a vehicle of a news channel on fire, beat up journalists and attacked the KPC over what they described as a lack of media coverage of their protest.

A case was registered 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), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc), 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or a shorter term) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Artillery Maidan police.

59 Indian fishermen sent to prison

A judicial magistrate remanded on Friday 59 Indian fishermen in judicial custody for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters. The Maritime Security Agency detained the fishermen and seized their boats for fishing inside the territorial waters of Pakistan in the Arabian sea a few days ago and handed them over to police for legal action.

The police produced them in court and a judicial magistrate (west) sent them to jail on 14-day judicial remand and directed the investigation officer to file an investigation report.

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

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2016