Daily Times

A prosecution witness on Monday identified Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch in Baghdadi police station attack case.

A district and sessions court heard the Baghdadi police station attack case against Uzair Baloch. During the hearing, the prosecution witness deputy superintendent police (DSP) Ali Raza identified Baloch and told the court that the accused and his accomplices had attacked the police station using rifles, grenades and other weapons. The accused managed to flee from the scene after the police retaliation, he further told the court.

It is pertinent to mention here that Uzair Baloch is among nine persons who are accused of attacking Baghdadi police station in May 2012.

In another case related to attempted murder and police encounter, the Lyari gangster submitted his acquittal plea to the additional district and sessions court. Baloch stated in his petition that an accused had already been acquitted in the case, whereas the witness and SHO Safdar Mashwani are not appearing before the court.

A letter was also sent to the prosecutor general Sindh and additional inspector general (AIG) for the appearance of Safdar Mashwani in the case.

The government lawyer Shakil Abbasi pleaded with the court to issue orders for Mashwani’s appearance in the next hearing. He added that Baloch could be acquitted in the case following the non-appearance of the witness.

The case had been filed against Uzair Baloch at Kalri police station on May 22, 2012.

It is pertinent to mention here that Uzair Baloch has been acquitted in nine cases for lack of evidence till recently. On Jan 12, the sessions court acquitted him in a kidnapping and murder case of a citizen. Defence lawyer said that no eyewitness appeared before the court, while the prosecution was silent over the culprits involved in the murder. “The police found the dead body and didn’t identify the slain person,” the counsel said.

“The murder took place in Kalri area on March 13, 2013, while the case was registered on March 17,” Uzair Baloch’s lawyer said. “Police nominated my client in the case on political grounds, who didn’t commit it,” the counsel said.

Baloch had been arrested by the Rangers on January 30, 2016. In April 2017, his custody was handed over to the Pakistan Army after he was accused of espionage. The Army handed him over to the police on April 6, 2020, after three years.