KARACHI, July 27: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday allowed the appeal of a convict in a newspaper bomb blast case and ordered the acquittal and release of the appellant if not required in any other case.
Appellant Mohammad Uzair Qureshi was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by an anti-terrorism court for involvement in the suicide bombing incident at the offices of the daily Nawa-i- Waqt in November 2000. A first information report was registered by the Soldier Bazar police against unknown attackers.
According to the prosecution, Uzair Qureshi carried out the bombing in complicity with the absconding accused Kazim Raza, Javed Ahmed Khan, Javed Turk, Ansar Ahmed and Mujib Abbas.
Ms Perveen acted as the suicide bomber and was killed on the spot. Two employees working in the newspaper's advertizement and accounts sections died and six press workers were injured in the blast. The accused were allegedly associated with Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
Challenging the anti-terrorism court decision before an SHC division bench, comprising Justices M. Mujibullah Siddiqui and Mohammad Afzal Soomro, Barrister Azizullah Shaikh, submitted that the prosecution had failed to adduce evidence to link the appellant with the commission of the offence.
He was arrested in January 2001 but the arrest was initially shown to have been made in a subsequent case. As for the appellant's confessional statement, the counsel submitted that he was kept in illegal confinement for over a fortnight before the recording of the statement.
The confession was extracted under duress and had no evidentiary value. He showed telegrams sent to the then provincial governor and the high court chief justice against his unlawful arrest and detention. The counsel also brought out contradictions in the depositions made by prosecution witnesses.
Assistant Advocate-General Habib Ahmed contested the appeal on behalf of the state and requested the bench to uphold the impugned judgment. The same bench adjourned to a date in office an appeal moved by Mohammad Ajmal alias Akram Lahori, an alleged activist of the defunct Sipah-i-Sahaba, against his conviction by an anti- terrorism court.
He was sentenced to life term. The prosecution also filed an appeal for enhancement of the sentence. Lahori's counsel was not present when the case was taken up for hearing, which was adjourned to an unspecified date.
BAIL GRANTED: The bench admitted a businessman Sikandar Karim to prearrest bail for 10 days in the sum of Rs 500,000 and directed the petitioner to appear before the trial court within the period.
The businessman has been booked by the Federal Investigation Agency on a complaint made by the British High Commission. According to the complaint, he misappropriated a sizable amount involved in a letter of credit opened by an investor in a foreign bank.
Advocate Ismet Mehdi, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that he intended to surrender before the court and face the trial. The interim bail would enable him to surrender before a judicial authority and conduct his defence.
PRE-ARREST BAIL: Sikandar A Kareem, a local businessman, was admitted to pre-arrest bail for 10 days against a solvent surety of Rs 0.5 million by a division bench of High Court of Sindh, comprising Justice Mohammad Mujeebullah Siddiqui and Justice Mohammad Afzal Soomro, on Tuesday.
The accused sought bail in a case registered by FIA CBC-I under Section 406/34 PPC on a complaint by Deputy British High Commissioner Hamish Danie. According to prosecution, the accused mis-appropriated amount of LC belonging to a foreign bank and a foreign investor.
When the bail plea came up for hearing, Ms Ismat Mehdi appearing for the applicant/ accused submitted that the applicant intends to surrender before the trial court. The bench admitted the accused/applicant to pre-arrest bail for ten days, directing him to surrender before the trial court.
The same bench adjourned the hearing of ATA appeals filed by Mohammad Ajmal alias Akram Lahori and three co-accused and another by state seeking enhancement of life term unto death sentence in Daniel Pearl murder case for a date to be fixed later. -APP