HYDERABAD: A fifth criminal case has emerged against National Peoples Party (NPP) chief and a key leader of the Grand Democratic Alliance Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi, this time at the Bagerji police station of Sukkur.

Jatoi, a former federal minister, was on Monday remanded in judicial custody for 14 days in this attempted murder case when he was about to be freed on bail in three other cases.

His judicial remand has been granted by by the civil judge and judicial magistrate-II in the case registered under Sections 324, 109, 506/2, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

The judged noted that the investigating officer (IO) sought remand of accused along with jail certificate and imaginary memo of arrest which showed detention of the accused in the Special Prison Nara. It appeared that accused was not nominated in FIR with specific allegation / role. However, the accused was implicated through further statement of complainant under Section 162 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC).

The judicial remand was granted till March 9.

He was earlier granted bail in a case registered vide FIR No. 2/25 at the Dokri police station; and FIR No. 17/25 registered at the Hingorja police station of Khairpur district.

Additional district and sessions judge-II of Khairpur had granted him bail while ADJ-I also granted him bail in the Dokri case. Writs of releases dated Feb 24 in both cases had reached the administration of the Special Prison Nara.

Earlier, he was discharged from Liaquat University Hospital (LUH), Hyderabad, where he was shifted a couple of days after feeling chest pain. He was brought back to the Nara prison from hospital. Jatoi has also been booked recently by the Anti-Corruption Estab­lishment vide FIR No. 1/25 in Moro town of Nausharo Feroze district.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2025