KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday asked the federal authorities to submit their policy for the security of VIPs in other provinces after a lawyer for Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari informed the court of serious threats to his client’s life.

The PPP chairman, through his lawyer, had filed a constitutional petition in 2016 seeking the court’s directives for the federal and provincial governments to ensure provision of round-the-clock security cover as there were serious threats to his life in view of reports of security agencies.

When the petition came up for hearing before the two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro on Wednesday, the lawyer for Mr Bhutto-Zardari contended that his client was facing serious security threats and there was also a threat to blow up his residence, Bilawal House.

The counsel argued that the Sindh government was providing security to the PPP chief, but the federal authorities were not cooperating, adding that his client was travelling across the country due to his political engagements

An appellate bench upholds the death sentence awarded to two ANP activists in JPMC murder case

A deputy attorney general argued that after the 18th Amendment, it was the responsibility of the provincial governments to provide security to the VIPs.

The bench directed the federal authorities to inform it on the next hearing about the policy for the security of VIPs in other provinces and also called a report from the federal government about the security threats to the PPP chairman.

In his petition, Mr Bhutto-Zardari had also asked the court to direct the authorities to allow him to carry his personal security guards with licensed arms while travelling or addressing public meetings throughout the country, adding that being the chairman of the PPP he had to travel across the country to address public gatherings and discharge public duties for the welfare of the people at large.

He further said that security agencies had issued reports regarding serious threats to his life.

Death sentence upheld in JPMC murder case

Another division bench of the SHC on Wednesday upheld the death sentence handed down to two men by a trial court in a murder case.

An antiterrorism court had sentenced to death Saddam Kakar and Azhar Hussain, said to be activists of the Awami National Party, in February 2016 after finding them guilty of killing Abdul Rehman in the emergency section of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre in December 2012.

The convicts had challenged the capital punishment before the SHC and after hearing both sides and examining the evidence, a two-judge SHC bench headed by Justice K.K. Agha dismissed the appeals and maintained the trial court’s order.

According to the prosecution, two groups had become engaged in an armed clash at a hotel in Saddar that had left Ramzan Kakar, a local ANP leader, dead, while Abdul Rehman from the other side sustained injuries. The injured was taken to the JPMC, where the accused had also brought the body of Ramzan for a post-mortem examination. Seeing wounded Rehman on a stretcher, they fired at him and fled, it added.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2019