Missing person’s case: Arrest warrant issued for Sarband SHO

NAB K-P accepts plea bargain of Rs23.08 million from revenue officer arrested for illegal earnings.

PESHAWAR:

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Sarband police station SHO for not appearing in court for a missing person’s case.

The arrest warrant was issued by a two-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Ikramullah Khan. The bench was informed that Sarband police arrested an alleged teenage bomber Bilal and his handler Jehangir Khan on November 20, 2012.

The bench learnt that the day after the arrest, Bilal was produced before the anti-terrorism court but Jehangir has been missing since. Police officials later held a news conference showing the two arrested men but the whereabouts of one is still unknown.

The court then issued a non-bailable arrest warrant on Wednesday against the Sarband SHO for not appearing before the court to assist it with the case.

On March 28, the bench directed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa IGP to identify the police official who presented the suicide bomber and his handler before the media after the arrest. The IGP was also ordered to produce the said official.

In the previous hearing, the court expressed its displeasure over the police producing only one of the two accused and not sharing the whereabouts of the second accused, Jehangir.

Time sensitive

Hearing 12 petitions on enforced disappearances, the court was informed by Jamal Begum that her husband Hazrat Mashal and two sons Ashraf Ali, 28, and Mumtaz Ali, 17, have been missing for the last five years. She has presented many applications in Swat and Islamabad courts but to no avail.

The court told deputy attorney general Manzoor Khalil if the detainees are involved in any terrorist activities, authorities should register charges against them. The families of those missing should be informed where their relatives are currently being detained.

The court then referred cases to relevant circuit benches of the high court which are located closer to the petitioners. The application of federal ministries of defence and interior demanding three weeks for the reports of missing persons and adjournments was turned down by the court.

Dirty business

An accountability court learnt on Wednesday that the National Accountability Bureau Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has accepted the plea bargain offered by revenue officer Saeed Khan. Saeed has offered to pay Rs23.08 million and his release order will be issued today (Thursday).

NAB officials told the accountability court the accused accumulated large amounts of money and held assets disproportionate to his known sources of revenue. However, they added, he has offered to pay the money. The application was accepted by the NAB chairman, leading to the issuance of his release order.

NAB arrested the officer on April 4. Saeed started working in the revenue department two decades ago. The accused will be released today (Thursday).

Published in The Express Tribune, April 24^th, 2014.