Chitral's ex-district nazim arrested in explosives theft case

CHITRAL, Feb 25: Former district nazim (mayor) of Chitral Maghfirat Shah was arrested in the explosives theft case in Chitral on Monday. Sources told chitraltoday.net that a local court gave the former nazim belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami party to the Koghuzi police on a three-day physical remand. He was arrested from the premises of the sessions court after District and Sessions Judge Syed Zumrad Shah withdrew his bail before arrest. It may be noted that last year on February 15 about 700 kilogrammes of explosives used in blasting stones and mountains were stolen from the godown of Korean Sambu company at Koghozi. The Koreans are constructing the Golen Gol power station near the Koghozi village. Law enforcement agencies picked up a man from Ayun on the charge of stealing the explosives. During interrogation, this man told the police that he had sold some of the explosive to a son of Mohammad Khan contractor and the former district nazim. On information provided by this accused man, some of the explosives were recovered from the son of the contractor and the ex-district nazim’s under-construction powerhouse at Jughoor Gol near Chitral town in January this year. The son of Mohammad Khan contractor was arrested and put behind bars at that time and later he was released on bail. However, the JI leader Maghfirat Shah, who was also booked in the case under section 5 of the Explosive Act, obtained bail before arrest from the sessions court which was vacated on Monday. It may be recalled that Maghfirat Shah of Jamaat-i-Islami was elected the district nazim after he defeated Shahzada Mohiuddin in the local government election of 2005. Maghfirat Shah’s lawyer Zafar Hayat told chitraltoday.net that his client was accused of storing 250 kgs of the stolen explsoves on the information of another man. He said he was filing an application with the court for the release of the former nazim.  ]]>