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| India-Pakistan |
| Terrorist releases in high-profile cases: PHC orders police to produce stronger evidence |
| 2008-09-09 |
| The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday observed that terrorists charged in high profile cases manage to get their release on bail easily due to lack of evidence and weak investigation against them. A PHC single bench headed by Justice Dost Mohammad Khan directed the provincial police to properly investigate high profile cases and produce strong evidences against terrorists so that they could not be able to get their release on bail from courts. The PHC judge passed these remarks while hearing two bail petitions of accused in high profile cases. The intelligence agencies had arrested two accused Mohim Bacha and Ameer Bacha in precincts of Kabal Police Station in Swat district one year back, recovered heavy weapons including rocket launchers, mortar shells, detonators and hand grenades from their houses and handed them over to police. After investigation, the police stated that the accused had stolen the weapons from three police stations after militants' attacks on the police stations. The state lawyer, however, failed to present strong proofs against the accused when the court asked him to produce solid evidences. On this, the court directed the Station House Officer (SHO) Kabal to produce the record and complete investigation report against the accused within a week. The court asked the state lawyer to produce solid proofs against them in the next hearing of the case. Bail plea dismissed: Another PHC bench headed by Justice Jehanzeb Rahim dismissed a bail petition of an accused charged in possessing explosives. Muslim Shah, resident of Swat, was charged by Swat Police Station on September 12, 2006 for possessing explosives. The police also charged him under 7 Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and Section 5 of Explosives Substance Act. After detailed arguments, the court dismissed the bail petition of the accused. Election petitions: Meanwhile, PHC Election Tribunals issued notices to two NWFP ministers and five provincial and national assembly members in writ petitions seeking their disqualification. An election tribunal headed by Justice Raj Mohammad Khan issued notices to PPP-S chief and MNA-elect from NA-8 Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, MPA-elect from PF-36 Swabi Sarfaraz Khan and NWFP Health Minister Syed Zahir Ali Shah in the writ petitions seeking their disqualification. A former provincial minister and a losing candidate of ANP from NA-8 Charsadda Bashir Khan Umerzai had filed an election petition against former federal minister Aftab Ahmad Sherpao. Umerzai had lost the election with a margin of 675 votes to Sherpao. He alleged that Sherpao had won the polls through rigging. Another election tribunal headed by Justice Hamid Farooq Durrani issued notices to NWFP Minister for Sports and Tourism Syed Aqil Shah and Mufti Syed Janan, elected MPA from Hangu district, in election petitions filed for their disqualification. |
| Posted by:Fred |