KARACHI, May 24: An Anti-Terrorism Court in Karachi on Wednesday issued non-bailable warrants against former Chief Minister of Balochistan Sardar Akhtar Mengal in army personnel hostage-taking case.

Akhtar Mengal, who is also Chief of Balochistan National Party (Mengal) is accused of kidnapping two army personnel and making them hostage, with arrested accused Nasarullah Mengal, Ghulam Hyder Langah alias Chappar, Mehboob Ali Satti and Ghulam Qadir, on April 5.

The ATC, headed by Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch, issuing non bailable warrants against Akhtar Mengal, directed the police to arrest the accused and produce him before court on June 1.

Meanwhile, the court declined the defense application for shifting of accused from Karachi central prison to Landhi prison observing that according to Sindh home department's notification under trial prisoner facing trial before the ATC are to be kept in the central prison, Karachi.

Defence counsel Syed Ghulam Shah had filed an application for shifting of accused from Karachi Central Jail to Landhi jail accusing the jail authorities of maltreating the under-trial prisoner due to enmity. He said that the accused were being kept under solitary confinement and they were not allowed to meet their relatives.Disposing of the application, the court, however, directed the jail authorities to provide facilities to all accused according to jail manual.—PPI