A Karachi Anti-Terrorism Court indicted on Wednesday Lyari gang leader Uzair Baloch in the murder of gangster Arshad Pappu.
Baloch has denied the charges. The court has ordered the prosecution to present its witnesses at the next hearing. An amended chargesheet was filed, adding Baloch’s name to the case.
Baloch has requested the judge who recorded his confessional statement to appear before the ATC. He wants him to submit an affidavit and be questioned regarding his confession. He had previously denied ever recording a confessional statement.
He also said that he is not in jail custody and is being kept by the Rangers at the Mitha Ram Hostel. The jail police only bring me for my trials but otherwise have no role in my custody, he claimed.
Baloch’s case is being heard at the ATC in the Judicial Complex at Karachi Central Jail.
The judge summoned a reply from the government’s lawyer on implementation of the Jail Manual and allowing Baloch to meet his family.
The case has been adjourned till September 14.
A case was registered against Baloch at the Kalakot police station for murdering three people, including Arshad Pappu, in 2013.
He has been accused of murdering a total of 198 people and has denied all the charges.
Baloch was arrested by the Rangers on January 30, 2016. In a statement, he now denies, he confessed to committing criminal activities such as murder, extorting money, encroaching on land, illegally occupying 14 sugar mills, harassing residents, and purchasing arms.
In April 2017, his custody was handed over to the Pakistan Army after he was accused of espionage and leaking information to foreign intelligence agencies. The Army Corps V handed him over to the police on April 6, 2020 after three years.
