Lawyers beat up SHO in brawl at City Courts

KARACHI: A group of lawyers allegedly beat up the SHO of the City Courts police station and tore his uniform on Tuesday after he refused to lodge an FIR against a senior police officer for allegedly ‘looting a lawyer’.

Police said that two suspects — Mohammad Sabir and Noor Mohammad — were booked at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station in a robbery case and on Monday, the investigation officer of the case had brought them to the City Courts and produced them before a judicial magistrate for remand. However, they escaped with the help of their lawyers, the police claimed.

The City Courts police said that on Monday night an official of the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station had lodged an FIR against advocate Nizar Ahmed and his associates for their alleged involvement in the escape of the suspects.

On Tuesday, scores of lawyers approached the City Courts police station for lodging a counter-FIR against Gulshan SP Dr Fahad Ahmed and other police officials for allegedly taking away cash and some documents from advocate Ahmed.

However, a scuffle took place between the lawyers and policemen after the SHO refused to lodge a case.

SHO Azeem Baig told reporters that he was beaten up by enraged lawyers who also tore his uniform and detached his shoulder badges (pips).

On the other hand, advocate Ahmed said that he, along with both the suspects, was framed in the robbery case and the magistrate had verbally ordered the release of the suspects on his application under Section 63 of the Criminal Procedure Code since the complainant did not oppose it.

However, a few hours later the court recalled its earlier order, he added.

He also alleged that the Gulshan SP along with some other policemen approached him to demand the custody of the suspects and allegedly took away cash and some documents from him.

Meanwhile, representatives of the legal fraternity said that the future course of action in this regard would be set in a meeting on Wednesday (today).

Suspected LJ militants remanded

The administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts on Tuesday remanded four suspected militants in police custody in attempted murder, explosives and illicit weapons cases.

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had arrested Syed Hassan Ali, Zafar Sain, Qari Mohammad Jawaid and Mohammad Wazir after a shoot-out in Mehran Town on Monday and seized a huge cache of arms and explosives.

The CTD claimed that the head of a ‘sleeper cell’, Dildar Khan alias Dilawar, was killed in the shoot-out, while Hammad alias Babloo, Kamran Bhatti and Mohammad Yasir managed to escape.

The investigation officer produced the suspects before the administrative judge stating that they were associated with the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (Naeem Bukhari group) and were involved in many cases of terrorism.

The IO sought their custody for questioning through a joint investigation team and arrest of their absconding accomplices.

The court remanded them in CTD custody till March 13.

Meanwhile, a sessions court sentenced on Tuesday two men to seven years in prison in a robbery case.

The two men — Kashif Ali and Ijaz Ali — were found guilty of robbing Abdul Basit and his relative in May 2015 in the Sachal area.

An additional district and sessions judge (Malir) read out the conviction order against both the accused after recording evidence and concluding arguments from both sides.

The judge, however, acquitted co-accused Waseem for lack of evidence.
Source: Dawn