Terrorism charges: SSGC officials detained by Rangers for 90 days

Rangers claim to have credible information of officials' involvement in terrorism

KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers informed an anti-terrorism court on Saturday about the 90-day preventive detention of three top officials of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), claiming they have 'credible information' of their involvement in terrorism activities.

The SSGC deputy managing director, Shoaib Warsi, and two other officials, identified as Zuhair Siddiqui and Kamran Ahmed, were reportedly taken into custody on Wednesday evening in a targeted raid within the remits of Aziz Bhatti police station.

The Rangers presented them before the ATC-I judge, Bashir Ahmed Khoso, inside his chambers and submitted their detention order and jail warrants. According to a source, the law officer of the paramilitary force told the judge that the suspects, misusing their authority, embezzled funds at the utility's office, and, thus, facilitated terrorism by various means.

The SSGC officials have been grilled by the Rangers under Section 11EEEE of the Anti-Terrorism Act which allows the armed and civil forces of the country to detain any person whom they suspect to be involved in terrorism activities for a period of three months.

After informing the court, the Rangers personnel formally took them into custody. During the detention period, the suspects will be interrogated by a joint interrogation team about the allegations leveled against them. If the investigators will find the evidence mustered during the probe substantial, they will be implicated in cases to be tried by the court of law.

Official arrested

Meanwhile on Friday night, officials in plain clothes picked up another senior official of the SSGC. Chief Financial Officer Amin Rajput was detained from outside the SSGC head office located near Civic Centre in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Though no law enforcement agency confirmed the arrest, witnesses said that personnel in plain clothes picked up Rajput shortly after he left office for home.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2015.