Inquest finds flaws in ‘parole prisoners’ list

Seven of the 35 suspected criminals have been acquitted; cases against three were withdrawn.

KARACHI: Of the 35 under-trial prisoners released on parole almost nine years ago, seven had been acquitted by courts while three more had cases against them withdrawn by the state itself.

The controversy surrounding the release of the “hardened criminals” has been doing the rounds since the Supreme Court took up the matter during its hearing on the implementation of suo motu case of Karachi violence.

The apex court had called for the details of the convicts and suspects who had gone “missing” since they were released by the Sindh government on parole. The Inspector General of Prisons informed the court that 193 convicted and 35 under-trial prisoners were set free from different prisons in the province by the Sindh home department.

On November 3, the Supreme Court in its eight-page order directed all the trial courts concerned to issue non-bailable warrants against the suspected criminals. The Sindh police chief and home department were also ordered to ensure their arrest and produce them before the courts.

Following the directives, the Sindh prosecutor general, Shahadat Awan, gathered the details of the cases pending against the absconders in East, West, South and Central and Malir districts of Karachi. The district public prosecutors and special public prosecutors had filed applications in the courts, including anti-terrorism courts, requesting to provide certified copies of the cases pending so that a detailed report could be submitted in the Supreme Court before the start of the next session.

On Tuesday, Awan chaired a meeting of the district public prosecutors and special prosecutors in his office to review the progress in gathering information. “From the trial courts data, it was observed that seven suspects, whom the IG Prisons showed as under-trial prisoners, were in fact acquitted in all cases against them,” an officer, who was at the meeting, told The Express Tribune.

Noor Muhammad alias Aamir, Abdul Saboor, Muhammad Akram alias Lamba, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Sher Mohammad alias Shero, Dil Mohammad, Saeed Khan, Asif alias Dumba, Abu Bakar Siddiq alias Kalia and Mohammad Jahangir were released from prison on “short parole” from August 6, 2005, to December 29, 2005, according to IG Prison’s report submitted in the apex court.

The officer claimed, however, that Noor Muhammad alias Aamir, Abdul Saboor, Zulfiqar Ahmed, Dil Mohammad, Asif alias Dumba, Abu Bakar Siddiq alias Kalia and Mohammad Jahangir had already been acquitted by the sessions courts concerned and judicial magistrates of East, South and Malir districts. All suspects had been booked and arrested on charges of murder, kidnapping, assault on public servants, attempt to murder, possessing unlicensed weapons and common intent.

Moreover, the Sindh government under the former chief minister, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, had itself withdrawn four cases registered against Saeed Khan, Muhammad Akram alias Lamba and Sher Mohammad alias Shero from the courts of additional district and sessions court West and South districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2012.