KARACHI, Sept 20: An anti-terrorism court reserved on Wednesday judgment in the army personnel hostage-taking case against former Balochistan chief minister Sardar Akhtar Mengal and his four domestic servants.Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of ATC-5 fixed Sept 25 for the pronouncement of the verdict after he heard final arguments of Special Public Prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum and defence counsel Abdul Wahab Baloch.

Four servants of the Baloch leader -- Nasarullah Mengal, Ghulam Hyder Langah alias Chappar, Mehboob Ali Satti and Ghulam Qadir – have been prosecuted in the case. Mr Mengal was declared a proclaimed offender by the court, which also ordered the attachment of his entire moveable and immoveale properties to the state.Complainant Havildar Qurban Hussain of the Military Intelligence alleged that on April 5 he, along with his colleague Lance Naik Fayyaz Ahmed, was on duty on Khyaban-i-Shamsheer, Saba Commercial Area, on April 5 when Mengal’s servants kidnapped them and made them hostage.

Akhtar Mengal, who is also chief of the Balochistan National Party (Mengal), and other unidentified persons were declared absconding co-accused in the charge-sheet. It was alleged that Sardar Akhtar Mengal kidnapped the army personnel with the intention to kill.

Complainant of the case, Qurban Hussain, submitted in his FIR that they were made hostage at the DHA residence of Sardar Akhtar Mengal for two hours and were subjected to torture.

The complainant alleged that at 7.55am Sardar Akhter Mengal came out of his bungalow and ordered his servants to take them inside, where they were beaten up. The servants also allegedly snatched their money, national identity cards and service cards. The police arrested the four servants on April 8.

Meanwhile, accused Mehboob’s brother, Yousuf, moved an application before the additional district and sessions judge, Mohammed Azeem, against the SHO of Darakhshan police.

The complainant submitted to the court that his brother and his associates handed over two accused to the Darakhshan police on April 5 for chasing and harassing them. He stated that his brother requested the police to book the two in the case. However, he submitted, the police released the two suspects and arrested his brother and his associates in a case under the Anti-terrorism Act.

The complainant prayed to the court to order the SHO to explain as to why he had set the accused free and booked his brother and his three associates in the case.

The judge ordered the SHO to file his comments on the application.