KARACHI, July 12: Allah Wasayo, one of the accused in attack on some vehicles belonging to Alam Baloch, a former federal secretary, was admitted to bail against two sureties of Rs0.2 million each by a division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justice Ataur Rahman and Justice Mohammad Moosa K. Leghari on Tuesday. According to the prosecution, Allah Wasayo, a guard of Asif Ali Zardari, was among a group of people who had attacked the vehicles and injured some of Alam Baloch’s servants. The accused was booked under section 303/324/34 PPC by Qasimabad police (FIR 70/1997).

The accused was being tried before an STA court in Hyderabad which had admitted him to bail in August 2002. He attended the trial up to July 23, 2003 after which he could not attend further proceedings. On April 1, 2004, he surrendered voluntarily before the court and his bail plea was dismissed on May 5, 2005.

Senator Farooq H. Naek appeared for the applicant.

Mengal’s CASE: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the federal interior ministry to file comments on why had the name of BNP leader Mohammad Akhtar Mengal been placed on the Exit Control List.

Mr Mengal, an ex-chief minister of Balochistan, through a petition moved the court against the ban on his travel abroad

The petitioner prayed to the court that there were no grounds for the government to restrain him from going abroad for the purposes related to business and health. His counsels Raja Qureshi and Syed Ghulam Shah sought removal of his name from the ECL.

Federal law officer told the court that authorities concerned in the interior department could not be contacted in this regard, and sought time to file comments.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Zia Pervaiz gave the law officer three days’ time and adjourned the hearing till July 15.remanded: Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Administrative Judge of the Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs), Karachi division, on Tuesday remanded Amanat alias Chunnu, a co-accused in a kidnapping for ransom case, in the custody of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell till July 14.

Earlier, Chunnu was produced before the judge by SI Mohammad Baber of the AVCC.

According to prosecution, Chunnu, along with the main accused, Abdul Shakoor and an alleged accomplice Karamat Ali, had kidnapped a minor boy, Abu Bakar and released him after receiving Rs175,000, at Bahawalpur railway station, in ransom.

Abdul Shakoor and Amanat are in custody whereas Karamat Ali is absconding. AAG Habib Ahmed appeared for the state.bail ADMITTED: An appellate bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justice Ataur Rahman and Justice Mohammad Moosa K. Leghari on Tuesday admitted a principal custom appraiser, M. Irshad Khan, to bail against two solvent sureties of Rs1 million each and personal bond in the like amount.

Ismat Mehdi, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that two inquiries were ordered against her client in the year 2002 and 2004 but cases against him were closed and he was thus not prosecuted.

She told the court that now again an inquiry was initiated against him (NAB case 837/2005) in which he was arrested on June 6, 2005. Since his arrest, no evidence was collected or material was obtained, she pointed out, adding that it was therefore a classic case of further inquiry.

Admitting the accused to bail, the bench ordered that the name of the petitioner/accused be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) immediately. Iranian family: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday dismissed as withdrawn an Iranian family’s petition seeking refuge after expiry of their sentence under the Foreigners Act.

Murtaza Hussain, Nayyara Murtaza and their child Anna, arrested in March 2003 by Nagarparkar police, were jailed for eight months on September 15, 2003.

Their counsel, Zia Awan, submitted to the court that the petitioners were languishing in jail since December 2003 after serving their term. He prayed to the court that the petitioners were feared for their lives in Iran and wanted to integrate in Pakistan.

Additional Advocate General Ahmed Pirzada told the court that the Federal Review Board comprising Supreme Court Judge Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and SHC Judge Justice Ghulam Rabbani had extended detention of the family to three months from April 23, 2005.

Advocate Awan prayed for the withdraw the petition to enable him to file a fresh petition to challenge the Board’s decision.

The SHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Zia Pervaiz dismissed the petition as withdrawn.—APP/PPI