Jail transfers: Hardened criminals return home

Eighteen prisoners, including Saulat Mirza, return from a short trip to jails in upper Sindh.

KARACHI:

About 17 “Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers” together with the infamous Saulat Mirza returned to Karachi’s jails on Monday.

Mirza and his associates, including Nadir Shah and Waseem Zaidi, were transferred to different jails in Sindh on July 9 - shortly after the MQM decided to quit the government. Prisons IG Ghulam Qadir Thebo told The Express Tribune that all 18 “MQM workers” who were transferred have returned to CJK and Malir Central Jail. However, the MQM has never owned Mirza as a party worker.

Saulat Ali aka Saulat Mirza was charged with several murders and was imprisoned in Karachi Central Jail. He was then shifted to Hyderabad Central Jail along with some other members of his party. Some were also sent to Sukkur.

Mirza was arrested after his arrival from Bangkok at the Karachi airport in December 1998. He was wanted for allegedly killing two US diplomats, four American oil company workers and Karachi Electric Supply Company MD Shahid Hamid. He was also suspected of having a background of international terrorism.

On May 24, 1999, Mirza was sentenced to death by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi after he was found guilty of murdering Hamid, his driver, Ashraf Brohi and guard Khan Akbar on July 5, 1997 in Defence. The Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed Mirza’s appeals against the death penalty on January 21, 2000, and September 14, 2001, respectively.

The SC also rejected the review appeal on March 9, 2004. However, the mercy appeal to the president is still pending.

At CJK, Mirza resides in the ‘condemned ward’ (death row).

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th,  2011.

Correction: The previous picture attributed to Sualat Mirza was incorrect. Any inconvenience caused is regretted.