KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has asked the provincial home department to inform it as to when will the military authorities shift the custody of Uzair Jan Baloch, the chief of the defunct Peoples Aman Committee (PAC), back to prison.

Nearly 62 criminal cases are pending trial against Uzair and others before different antiterrorism courts in the judicial complex.

The ATC-VI judge, who is conducting trial of a case pertaining to kidnapping and murder of a policeman against Uzair and others, sent a letter to the registrar of the provincial home department.

The letter stated that the custody of Uzair was shifted from the Central Prison Karachi to the Army’s Crops-V in Karachi on April 11, 2017 in the presence of the Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate-XI (South) for investigation in an explosives and arms case.

“Due to non-presence of accused Uzair Jan Baloch during the trial before this court, due to said reasons, the case pertaining to year 2012 could not be proceeded,” stated the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.

“It is further directed that confirmation is required regarding the production of custody of accused Uzair Jan Baloch for hearing on each date before this court or may inform any time limit to this court regarding shifting the custody of the said accused from 5 Crops Karachi to Central Prison Karachi to avoid any further impediment,” it added. The registrar was directed to submit a reply to the letter by the next date of hearing.

Uzair along with Habib Jan Baloch and other PAC leaders is facing trial in connection with kidnapping and murder of a police constable in Kalri in 2012.

According to the prosecution, some nine suspects, including Habib Jan Baloch, Uzair Baloch, Zafar Baloch, Fahim Badshah, Adnan, Mushtaq and others nominated in the FIR were involved in the abduction and murder of Constable Raj Mohammad in April 2012.

The constable had left the police station in plainclothes for monitoring of police deployment in Kalri, when men in a double-cabin vehicle and two motorcycles had allegedly kidnapped him on Mauripur Road, it added. Later, his body was found.

A case (FIR No. 91/2012) was registered at the Kalri police station under Sections 302 (murder) 365 (kidnapping), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 against them on the complaint of ASI Ishtiaque.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2018