Afaq Ahmed returns ‘home’ to central jail

Police feel MQM-H chief is safer being tried inside the jail.

KARACHI:

Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H) chief Afaq Ahmed returned to Central Jail, Karachi (CJK) from District Jail, Malir (DJM) on Friday night.

Jail authorities say that they shifted Ahmed to CJK for protection. They plan to hold an trial inside as he cannot be protected at a trial held outside the jail.

The chief was shifted to DJM in anticipation of his release after the court approved bail for the last of the cases he was implicated in. However, he was imprisoned once again when an old case of kidnapping cropped up on October 7. The case was filed at the Landhi police station by an employee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.

IG Prisons Ghulam Qadir Thebu told The Express Tribune that the jail administration shifted Ahmed to CJK late on Friday night. He said that one of the main reasons behind the shift was the inside trial because all of Ahmed’s previous hearings took place in the judicial complex in the CJK and they could protect him there.

“The procedure is that as his trials were held inside (the jail) before, they will be held inside now as well,” he said. “Secondly, if the case is not held inside the jail, we do not have security for him as he comes and goes from court.”

He added that Ahmed has to be produced before a magistrate because he has already missed a court date on October 11. His next hearing is scheduled for October 18 and will be held at the judicial complex in the CJK.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2011.