KARACHI: A federal law officer on Monday informed the Sindh High Court that the mother of Uzair Jan Baloch, the chief of outlawed Peoples Amn Committee, might approach military authorities in order to meet her detained son.

Uzair’s mother moved the SHC seeking directives for the authorities concerned to arrange a meeting with her son as well as his production before trial courts.

When the matter came up for hearing before a two-judge SHC bench headed by Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar on Monday, the lawyer for petitioner argued that the meeting between the Lyari gangster and his mother and wife had not been arranged yet despite court orders.

Take a look: Uzair Jan Baloch — a profile

The counsel maintained that such permission had also been allowed under the Army Act, 1952.

A deputy attorney general stated that the petitioner might approach the military authorities for a meeting or submit an identical application with the office of the attorney general, which will be forwarded to the authorities concerned.

The banned PAC chief is in army custody since April 2017

In the previous hearing, the ministry of defence in its comments said that the petition was not maintainable.

Uzair Baloch, presently in the custody of military authorities, has been facing over 50 cases including the murder of his arch-rival Arshad Pappu before the antiterrorism and sessions courts.

In a last hearing, the jail authorities through a report informed the bench that Uzair was shifted from the Karachi central prison to the Army’s Corps-V in Karachi on April 11, 2017 in the presence of the civil judge and judicial magistrate-XI (South) to face trial before a military court.

Earlier, the judicial magistrate had deposed before the ATC concerned that Corps-V of the Pakistan Army had moved an application for the custody of the suspect for a trial before a military court. He added that while allowing the application, he had directed the jail authorities to hand over his custody to military officials.

Uzair Baloch was detained under 90-day preventive detention by the Pakistan Rangers, Sindh and then handed over to police following his mysterious arrest in January 2016. In April 2017, the army announced that it had taken him in custody in connection with charges of “espionage”.

His mother, Razia Begum, through her lawyer submitted that her son was picked up by personnel of law enforcement agencies in January 2016 and he had remained in their custody since then.

The lawyer argued that Uzair was booked and charge-sheeted in dozens of cases pending before ATCs.

The petitioner’s counsel maintained that the detainee had the right to a fair trial and requested the SHC to issue directive for his production before the trial courts and his meeting with the family.

‘Hitman’ remanded in illicit weapon, explosives cases

The administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts remanded on Monday a suspected hitman belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London in police custody in explosives and illicit weapons cases.

Police claimed to have arrested Sajid alias Bona near the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board office on Sunday for his alleged involvement in killing of over 40 people since 1995.

They said that the suspect belonged to the MQM-London and was allegedly involved in the murder of policemen, officials of excise and education department, workers of rival parties and others.

However, the police produced him before the court in explosives and illicit weapons cases and sought his custody for questioning.

The administrative judge handed him over to police on four-day physical remand and directed the investigating officer to produce him on next hearing along with a progress report.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2019