KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Thursday acquitted the chief of outlawed Peoples Amn Committee, Uzair Baloch, and his younger brother Zubair in a case pertaining to kidnap and murder of a merchant over non-payment of ransom money in 2009.

Uzair Baloch, the alleged Lyari kingpin, along with his brother Zubair was exonerated from the charges of kidnapping Abdul Samad for ransom and later killing him within the jurisdiction of Chakiwara police station on July 19, 2009.

The ATC-VII judge, who conducted the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced his verdict reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The accused were produced in custody in court.

ATC also exonerates Lyari gangster’s brother from similar charges

The judge acquitted the accused for want of evidence as the prosecution failed to prove the charge against them.

Defence counsel denied all the allegations and pleaded innocence on the part of his clients.

He submitted that there were glaring contradictions in the prosecution’s case.

Uzair Baloch is currently facing trials in several other cases pertaining to kidnapping, murder, encounter with law enforcers and running extortion rackets under the alleged patronage of the Pakistan Peoples Party’s senior leadership and police high-ups.

However, he has been acquitted in over a dozen cases by the sessions courts and ATCs.

He is currently undergoing a 12-year rigorous imprisonment handed down by a military court in April 2020 in an espionage case.

According to the prosecution, complainant Azeem Khan said he and his son Samad were doing the business of bringing household items from Turbat, where they were living.

On July 14, 2009, the complainant and his son returned from Balochistan along with his children to their house in Bakra Chowk. The complainant went to Nawabshah. Later, he got a phone call from his younger son Jameel informing him about the kidnapping of Samad by Uzair Baloch’s men.

The complainant said he had contacted Uzair’s aides Zubair, Rauf Baloch and Naeem Baloch to secure the safe release of his son. They demanded Rs200,000 ransom. However, the complainant paid them Rs70,000, but they did not release his son and demanded Rs100,000 more. Later, he was informed the Samad was shot dead and his body was thrown in an area within the remit of the Garden police station on July 19, 2009.

A case was registered under Sections 365-A (kidnapping for ransom), 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Chakiwara police station.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2022