KARACHI: District Jail administration Shikarpur is providing illegal facilities to the convicts of Wali Babar murder case due to their political backing, The News has learnt.

An official of District Jail Shikarpur told The News on the condition of anonymity that convicts of Wali Babar case Faisal Mehmood alias Nafsiyati, Naveed alias Polka, Muhammad Ali Rizvi, Shakeel Malik and Shah Rukh alias Mani confined at Shikarpur District Jail not only enjoying these illegal facilities which are reserved for A class prisoners only but these five prisoners also visited the city in an official car of a jail officer two times during their confinement.

This source told that the jail administration providing them high class food and appointed two prisoners for looking after them.

According to the Jail manual A class facilities could be given only on court orders to eminent people.

Jail Superintendent Ali Bux Shaikh, however, told The News that all the information regarding special facilities to the convicts of Wali Babar case were incorrect. “They are being treated as the common prisoners. The jail administration not giving illegal facilities to them because they were shifted here on the administrative orders of the Sindh Government due to security reasons. How can any official of the jail could dare to give them special services,” he further said.

The leader and President Sukkur Press Club Lala Asad Pathan told The News that he had confirmed information that due to support of a political party, murderers of Wali Babar were being treated as special guests and enjoying illegal facilities in jail.

The News

ISLAMABAD: The government will petition a superior court against the acquittal of an accused and the award of life imprisonment to four accused instead of the death penalty by an anti-terrorism court of Sindh in the murder case of Geo News reporter Wali Khan Babar.

The Sindh administration would be asked by the federal government to redouble its efforts for an early arrest of absconding convicts who have been handed death penalty.

It is the first murder case in the country whose venue was shifted from Karachi to a remote town in the interior Sindh benefiting from the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance (PPO) promulgated last year. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s assertions cannot be undervalued who had pledged in public meetings at least a dozen times that the government would not let Wali Khan Babar’s killers go scot-free.

Sources told The News Saturday evening that the federal government kept monitoring developments in the case and stayed in touch with the Sindh administration throughout on the direct instructions of Prime Minister Nawaz.

He was among the first national leaders who condemned the killing of Wali Khan Babar in strongest terms. Babar was gunned down in Karachi on January 13, 2011.

Wali Babar murder case was one of the causes that forced the federal government to legislate the PPO as the case had turned highly sensitive when six people linked with the prosecution including a witness and a lawyer had already been killed one after another, the sources reminded.

The prosecution will study the verdict once the detailed judgment is announced and an appeal would be submitted in the light of that in the higher court for enhancement of punishment and revision of acquittal of one of the accused, the sources said.

The News

ISLAMABAD: Elder brother of slain Geo TV’s reporter Wali Khan Babar and main complainant in the murder case, Mohabbat Khan Babar, is being transferred to Islamabad following serious threats to him from target killers in case he continues pursuing the case.

Earlier, the government ordered shifting the case from a trial court in Karachi to interior Sindh to avoid any untoward situation as seven witnesses, prosecutors and police officials involved in the probe have already been targeted and killed.

Salman Mujahid Baloch is a defense lawyer of those accused in murder of Wali Khan Babar.

Federal minister for water and power Khawaja Asif has ordered requisitioning the services of Mohabbat Khan Babar for Islamabad Electric Supply Corporation (IESCO) following information about life threats to him and family. Mohabbat is currently posted as XEN in Baluchistan Development Authority in Lasbella and his transfer request is being treated on humanitarian grounds.

He wrote a letter to the minister apprising him of the gravity of situation and suggesting a way out as requisitioning his services in Islamabad.

“My younger brother was killed in Karachi by a notorious target killer group belongs to an ethnic group. Wali Khan Babar murder case is under trial in the anti-terrorist court of Sindh and I am the complainant of the case,” reads Mohabbat Babar’s letter addressed to Kh. Asif. At least seven eye-witnesses including a renowned lawyer and police officers have been killed by same target killers and now they are behind every individual related to this case, he further wrote.

“The target killers are continuously sending me and my family threats of being assassinated if I further pursue the case. I feel insecure myself and my family in Sindh and Baluchistan where they have their proven roots,” reads Mohabbat’s letter to Kh Asif. “I am incapable to continue my services there in Baluchistan or Sindh….where my family is residing for the last 30 years,” said Mohabbat.

Keeping in view the above stated situation and serious threats to our lives, reads the letter, my services may kindly be requisitioned as special case on humanitarian grounds against any post equal to my qualification and experience in the ministry of water and power.

Realising the trouble slain journalist’s family is suffering in efforts to bring the killers to justice, the minister referred the case to IESCO for comments.

The IESCO authorities agreed to accommodate him and sent a formal letter to Balochistan government in order to requisition his services. Officials privy to the case say that he will be immediately adjusted once they receive a letter of consent from the concerned authorities.

The News