KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday set aside the conviction of a man who was awarded a 14-year jail term for possessing explosive material.

Shahid Shakeel was sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 14 years by an antiterrorism court in the case. He was arrested by the Zaman Town police in 2015.

The convict challenged his conviction through his counsel who submitted that the prosecution had failed to bring any incriminating evidence against his client.

The counsel contended that the ATC did not follow due procedure while convicting Shakeel.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the SHC bench, headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar, set aside the punishment and ruled that the convict should be released if not arrested in any other case.

Sharmila Farooqui’s plea

Meanwhile, another bench put off the hearing of the petition filed by Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Sharmila Farooqui against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for seeking her disqualification.

During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Salman Talibuddin submitted that at the time when Ms Farooqui and NAB entered into a plea bargain, there was no disqualification punishment.

He added that the case should be decided as per grounds on which it was lodged.

After hearing the arguments, the court put off the hearing till December 1.

Sharmila Farooqui had moved the court against NAB for writing to the Election Commission of Pakistan and the speaker of the provincial assembly to disqualify her for having been convicted by a court.

She submitted in her petition that the top anti-corruption institution had filed a reference against her, her father, who was a Steel Mills chairman, and mother for investing a huge amount in National Savings schemes which did not commensurate with their known sources of income.

However, she said, later they entered into a plea bargain with NAB which was allowed by the relevant court in 2001.

The PPP lawmaker said that in 2016, NAB had written to the ECP and others calling for her disqualification under Section 15 of the Ordinance.

“Section 15 of the National Accoun­t­ability Ordinance 1999, which provided that a person stands disqualified for holding public office for 21 years after having been convicted by a court, cannot be applied in his client’s case,” her counsel had argued.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2017