SHC sets aside 17-year conviction of MQM worker

The worker was convicted in a ransom and illegal weapons case

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) set aside the verdict by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) against Amir alias Langra, a Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) worker, who was convicted in a ransom and illegal weapons case. A two-member bench heard the appeal filed by the convict on Friday. The court accepted the appeal and asked the authorities to free Langra if he was not required in any other case.



According to the case prosecutor, Rangers arrested Langra in 2017 after a raid on SITE Superhighway. The convict had taken Rs50,000 extortion money from a contractor, named Nehal Riaz. The case was heard at an ATC which handed 17-years imprisonment to Langra. But the SHC ordered his release observing that prosecution had failed to provide concrete evidence against the suspect.

Hearing postponed

The court adjourned the hearing of the appeal filed by Ubaid K2, another  MQM activist, who was sentenced for possession of explosive materials by an ATC. A bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto on Friday heard the petition but deferred the hearing, without any proceedings, till October 23.

According to the petition filed by K2’s counsel, his client was not in possession of explosives, but a rocket launcher. The ATC had sentenced K2 to 14-years imprisonment. The case was registered at Gulberg police station in 2015. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2018.