The Karachi anti-terrorism court on Thursday charged Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) Member of National Assembly (MNA) Shahjehan Baloch and others for their alleged involvement in the killing of Lyari gangster Arshah Pappu.
Arshad Pappu, his brother Yasir Arafat and his associate Juma Shera were killed on March 16 allegedly by chief of the banned Peoples Amn Committee (PAC) Uzair Jan Baloch, his brother Zubair Baloch and some other suspects.
Shahjahan, a former union council nazim in Lyari, has been in jail in over 30 cases lodged against him along with the leadership of the banned PAC for allegedly putting up resistance during the Lyari operation conducted in April-May last year and allegedly attacking and killing personnel of law enforcement agencies.
The Arshad Pappu murder case was lodged under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 365 (kidnapping with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 297 (trespassing on burial place, etc), 392 (robbery), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Kalakot police station.
It was further stated in the FIR that Arshad Pappu’s son had identified Zubair Baloch, a brother of Uzair Jan Baloch, Noor Mohammad alias Baba Ladla, his brother Zahid Ladla, Asif, Faisal Pathan and Zakir Dada as alleged culprits in the crime.
Moreover, a former station house officer of the Baghdadi police station, who was also wanted in the Arshad Pappu murder case, had also been arrested during a police and Ranger operation in the area.
Arshad Pappu was booked in around 60 cases, including murder, kidnapping, attempted murder, illicit weapons and extortion, at different police stations in the city.