Ex-district nazim Chitral's bail plea rejected
CHITRAL, March 1: A court here on Thursday rejected the bail application of former district nazim Chitral Haji Maghfirat Shah who has been arrested in the explosives theft case.
The former district nazim and a key Jamaat-i-Islami leader in Chitral was put behind bars after his bail-before arrest plea was tuned down by District and Sessions Judge Chitral Syed Zumrad Shah on Feb 25. When the accused was presented before Senior Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate Shoaib Mohammad on Thursday, his lawyer Zafar Hayat contended that his client deserved bail under the law of consistency as another accused in the same case, Rafiullah, son of Mohammad Khan contractor, had already been released on bail. However, the prosecution said Rafiullah was granted bail after arrest as no recovery of explosives had been made from his possession. On the other hand, 250 kgs of explosive materials were recovered from the possession of Maghfirat Shah. Therefore, he should not be granted bail. The judge then turned down the bail application and the accused was shifted back to the district jail.
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. About 250 kgs of the explosives were recovered from the under-construction powerhouse owned by the former nazim at Jhughoor near Chitral early this year. According to the court documents, the former nazim, who was also one of the contenders for a seat in the forthcoming general elections, is facing charges under section 457 of he Pakistan Penal Code (house trespassing), 380 (theft), 406, and section 5 and 6 of the explosive act. Sources said the lawyer for the former nazim was filing a bail application with the district and session court. After receiving the application, the court has to decide the matter within five days under the judicial policy of 2009.]]>
If this man is convicted he should get the maximum punishment because it’s not just a case of theft! It’s a bigger crime. If we do little research on JI we come to know that unfortunately most of the time its members in various parts of the country have been caught helping extremists (who have distorted the image of our motherland). I still remember when law enforcement agencies caught a wanted terrorist Ramzi Yousuf from the house of a JI MNA in Karachi. And how can we deny Dr Usman’s relations with JI. What about Sofi Mohammad, Sirajuddin Haqani, Mulla Nazir, Baitullah Mesud? Even Sofi Mohammad was the Ameer of JI’s Malakand Division and his son-in-law Sirajuddin Haqani was the active worker of the party.
Is there anybody in Chitral who can explain why this news about the arrest of the Jamaat-e-Islami leader and a former district nazim is not being reported in the press of the area, except chitraltoday.net? Keeping in view the security situation in the country, especially in the KPK, the recovery of such a huge amount of explosives is very intriguing and dangerous. It is also shameful that in a peaceful area like Chitral responsible people like Maghfirat Shah, who was once the district nazim, could keep explosives materials that too stolen from a foreign company’s warehouse.
It is a matter of great shame generally for the whole of Chitral and especially for a religiously party like Jamat e Islami. There are many excuses made for that. At least Maghfirat Shah and contractor Mohammad Khan’s son knew that these were stolen items, then why did they buy it?