Journalist’s killer acquitted in arms case

KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Thursday exonerated an accused in a case pertaining to possession of illicit weapons and explosives.

The accused Kamran, alias Zeeshan, alias Shani, who had been sentenced to death in the murder case of Geo News reporter Wali Khan Babar, was acquitted of the charges of possessing illicit arms and explosives.

The 28-year-old television journalist was driving home from office when he was shot dead in Liaquatabad on January 13, 2011.

An ATC in Kandhkot had awarded death sentence to Kamran and Faisal Mehmood, alias Mota, in absentia while four convicts were given life imprisonment in the murder case on March 1, 2014.

On Thursday, the judge of the ATC concerned pronounced his judgment.

The judge noted that the prosecution had failed to prove charges against the detained suspect, thus the court acquitted him.

The prison authorities were told to release him forthwith, if his custody was not required in any other case.

According to the prosecution, Kamran was arrested in a joint operation conducted by the Special Investigation Unit and a federal intelligence agency on May 15 in a Gulshan-i-Maymar neighborhood. The prosecution claimed that illicit weapons and explosives were recovered from him.

Two convicted

Meanwhile, another ATC has awarded a collective sentence of 19-year imprisonment to a convict, Shahvez, in a case pertaining to encounter with police and possession of illicit weapons and explosives.

The accused, Shahvez, was found guilty of attacking police with intention to kill them and also possessing unlicensed arms and explosives.

The judge noted that the prosecution had successfully proved the charges against the accused.

The court also awarded 12-year imprisonment to a co-convict on the same counts.

According to the prosecution, police had arrested both the acc used in Mauripur and had recovered illegal weapons and hand grenade from their possession.

Another ATC also awarded 29-year imprisonment to a convict in a case pertaining to committing armed robbery and encounter with police.

The judge also imposed a fine of Rs150,000 on the convict. On default, he would undergo 18-month additional imprisonment.

According to the prosecution, the accused Nadeem had committed an armed robbery in a shop in a Kalakot locality in 2018. However, he was arrested in wounded condition following an encounter with police.

Source: Dawn