KARACHI: A sessions court acquitted on Monday an MNA of the Pakistan People Party in three cases pertaining to explosive substances and illicit weapons for want of evidence.

Shahjehan Baloch, who won an NA seat (NA-248 Lyari) in the last year’s general elections on a PPP ticket while being lodged in jail, was charged with keeping explosive material and unlicensed weapons when he was arrested after an alleged shootout with police in Lyari in April 2012.

Additional district and sessions judge (south) Sohail Jabbar Malik pronounced the verdict after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The court observed that the prosecution had examined three policemen, but glaring contradictions in their testimonies on material points made the cases doubtful while no other concrete evidence came on record. Besides, a sessions court had exonerated the accused in June last year in a connected case pertaining to an encounter with police, it added.

According to the prosecution, the crime investigation department of police arrested the accused and his accomplices in Kalakot on April 28 after a shootout and found hand grenades, a rocket launcher, a long machine gun (LMG) and a Kalashnikov in his possession. The weapons were also seized on a lead given by the accused, it added.

Three cases were registered against him under Sections 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act and Sections 13-D & 13-E of the Arms Ordinance at the CID police station.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2014