Muzaffarabad, Sep 29: A lower court here on Saturday issued fresh non-bailable arrest warrants against 9 out of 13 persons, including a veteran pro-freedom leader and a sitting Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) minister, in connection with a case registered against them around 15 years ago.
 Additional session judge Mian Arif Hussain, who had issued similar warrants against the alleged accused around a week ago, expressed anger at non-cooperation by the local police and directed the Senior Superintendent of Police, Muzaffarabad, to ensure that they were arrested and produced before the court on the next date of hearing on October 15.
 In default of arrests, he warned, action would be taken against the concerned police officials.
 The alleged accused, all belonging to different pro-independence parties, were booked by City Police Station here under sections 147, 148, 149 and 506 of Penal Code, 3 and 12 of Explosives Act and 16 MPO (maintenance of public order) for “instigating people against national security and spreading hatred against the government of Pakistan and army besides other disruptive activities.” Case was registered on October 24, 1997, when anniversary of the foundation day of PaK government is observed.
 They included the then Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Amanullah Khan, JKLF activist Tahir Anwar, National Liberation Front (NLF) president Shaukat Maqbool Butt, then Kashmir Freedom Movement (KFM) leader Afsar Shahid, National Students Federation (NSF) leaders Engr Khawaja Hassan Mahmood, Fazal Mahmood Baig, Salim Awan Shaukat Ganai, Aurangzeb alias Sain Killi, Rameez, Sajjad Khokhar, Ali Shaikh, Ashiq Khan and Altaf Makhdoomi.
 Of them, Shahid switched over to mainstream political parties and won the last year’s general election from Dadyal (Mirpur) on the ticket of ruling Peoples Party. He is currently a cabinet member, holding portfolio of Zakat and Ushar.
 Engr Mahmood, Awan, and Makhdoomi took political asylum in Belgium, USA, and Cyprus, respectively, while Anwar is settled in the UAE. The rest are still living in PaK or Pakistan.
 On Saturday, four of those living in PaK - Baig, Shaikh, Killi and Ganai (now a PML-N leader) - appeared before the Court, however, the proceedings were deferred by the judge until the arrest and production of the remaining accused.
 A court official told this correspondent that if the accused did not appear on their own or were not arrested and produced by the police on next date of hearing, they might be declared as ‘absconders.’ In that situation, trial would continue to the extent of those who had or would appear before the court on their own.
 Interestingly, the case, titled as PaK government versus Amanullah Khan, has been reconstructed by the police after it was shelved in the wake of loss of record in October 2005 earthquake and the death of the concerned SHO, Sardar Kabir.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 29 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 30 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST