KARACHI: An antiterrorism court reserved on Saturday its order on the pre-arrest bail applications of superintendent and two other officials of the Karachi Central Prison in two cases pertaining to recovery of contraband from jail and obstructing the investigation into the escape of two undertrial prisoners.

On the previous hearing, jail superintendent Hasan Sahito, deputy superintendent Majid Akhtar and assistant superintendent Syed Kamal Shah moved pre-arrest bail applications and after a preliminary hearing, the court had granted them interim bail till Oct 21.

When the cases came up for hearing before the ATC-I judge on Saturday, the court heard arguments from both sides and reserved its order on the bail applications for confirmation or otherwise till Oct 28.

Detained former jail superintendent Ghulam Murtaza Shaikh and assistant superintendent Abdul Rehman Shaikh were also produced in court in both the cases.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had arrested the former superintendent and assistant superintendent last month after lodging a new FIR against them and some senior severing officials for allegedly hindering the investigation of the jailbreak involving two UTPs of a banned militant outfit in June. Later, the provincial police officer transferred the investigation of the case to the Crimes Branch.

Initially, then superintendent Murtaza and assistant superintendent Shaikh along with 12 other jail officials were booked and arrested for their alleged negligence in the June 13 escape of the two militants belonging to the outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi on the premises of the prison. However, both the officials were released on bail in July.

Thereafter, the CTD registered a second case against jail officials after the recovery of heroin, anti-jamming devices and mobile phones during a search operation by the Rangers inside the detention facility after the jailbreak.

Moreover, the CTD also booked the jail officials in a third case for allegedly obstructing the investigation of the main case by influencing the witnesses under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Man jailed for life

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

Nasir Mehmood was found guilty of killing Ghulam Shabbir in November 2015 over a petty dispute in New Karachi.

An additional district and sessions judge (Central) read out the conviction order after recording evidence of witnesses and concluding arguments from both sides.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2017