KARACHI, Nov 19: A judicial magistrate sentenced on Monday two militants to one and a half years imprisonment in illicit weapons cases.

The court found Rashid Iqbal alias Abdul Basit and Abdul Razzaq alias Qari Umer guilty of carrying unlicensed weapons in the Pirabad area in June 2011.

The judicial magistrate (west) Sadruddin Bohyo, who conducted the trial of illegal arms cases in prison, handed down 18 months each term to the accused after hearing both sides.

According to the prosecution, a team of crime investigation department officials acting on some information raided a graveyard in Pirabad and arrested the accused after a shootout. They also seized illicit weapons and explosive substance from them.

The officials claimed that the accused were associated with Punjabi Taliban.

The accused were booked under Sections 13-D of the Arms Ordinance, 353 (criminal force to deter public servant), 324 (attempted murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section ¾ of the Explosive Substance Act. The other cases are being tried before a sessions court.

12 Indian fishermen remandedA judicial magistrate on Monday remanded 12 Indian fishermen in prison till Dec 1 for fishing in Pakistani waters.

The Maritime Security Agency had picked up the fishermen along with two fishing boats after finding them inside the Exclusive Economic Zone of Pakistan and handed them over to police. On Monday, the police produced the fishermen before the judicial magistrate (west) Azizullah Khoso. The court sent them in jail custody on judicial remand till Dec 1 and directed the investigating officer to file charge-sheet on the next hearing.

The case was lodged under Sections 3/4 of the Foreigners Act and 3/9 of the Fisheries Act at the Docks police station.

Show-cause noticeA drug court issued on Monday a show-cause notice to a drug inspector through the secretary health for his prolonged absence in three cases.

Sahib Khan Mirani was the investigating officer in two cases and a prosecution witness in another case lodged in 2008-09 against a number of accused for allegedly selling substandard and unauthorised drugs in Naushahro Feroz, Khairpur and Badin.

The court observed that it had repeatedly issued summons to the drug inspector over the past many months with the direction to appear before the court and testify in these cases. However, he neither turned up nor submitted any reason for his absence. The court directed the drug inspector to turn up and submit his reply on Dec 6.