KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to an investigating officer over his absence in a case pertaining to the abduction of three Baloch girls.

Saddam Hussain Chakrani and Niaz Jatoi along with their absconding accomplices have been booked for allegedly kidnapping Surat, her cousin Sabina and aunt Nagina on Sept 7 in Bhangoria Goth, Azizabad. The captives were recovered in Sukkur on Oct 19 and two of them informed a court on Oct 21 that they were forcibly married off after being abducted.

At a previous hearing, the court asked the investigating officer to submit the investigation report.

However, the IO was found absent on Wednesday when the case came up for hearing before Judicial Magistrate (central) Zaheer Ahmed. The court issued a show-cause notice to the IO for Oct 30.

The case was registeredunder Sections 364-A (kidnapping or abducting a person under the age of 10), 365-B (kidnapping or abducting or inducing a woman to compel her for marriage, etc.) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of the father of a victim at the Azizabad police station.

Saleem Jatoi, Imam Bux Jatoi, Hidayatullah Jatoi and Sherdil Jatoi are the absconding accused in the case.

Plea seeking blasphemy case against Khursheed disposed of A sessions court disposed of on Wednesday an application of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement seeking registration of a case against Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah under the blasphemy law for non-prosecution.

The application, moved by the MQM`s Dr Laila Parveen with eight others in October last year, was disposed of by a sessions court (east) as the applicants and their counsel had not been appearing beforethe court for the past many hearings.

The applicants contended that on Oct 17 during his visit to Bagh-i-Jinnah, along the mausoleum of the Quaid-iAzam, Mr Shah had stated that the word `Muhajir` was an expletive.

They argued that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), most prophets, Khulfa-iRashideen and Sahaba-iKiram had migrated from one city to another while the word `Muhajir` was cited with great respectin the Quran.

Therefore, the applicants contended,the seniorleaderof the Pakistan People Party had committed an offence of blasphemy punishable under Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 295-B (defiling, etc, of the Holy Quran) and 295-C (use of derogatory remarks, etc, in respect of the Holy Prophet) of the Pakistan PenalCode.

Impleading the station house officer of the Brigadepolice station, the provincial police officer and Mr Shah as respondents, the applicants maintained that they approached the police station concerned on Oct 21 and also sent an application to the inspector general of Sindh police for the registration of a case against the proposed accused.

However, they said, the police turned down their pleas and asked the court to direct the police to register a case against the opposition leader.

The SHO in his reply, submitted in court last year, maintained that he declined to consider the application as no offence was made out.

PSO official sent to prison in graft case A judicial magistrate on Wednesday remanded an official of Pakistan State Oil in judicialcustodyinagraftcase.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested senior manager of PSO and former managing director of Asia Petroleum Limited (APL)Naved Alam Zubairi at his office on Oct 20 for allegedly misappropriating funds during his tenure as MD of APL, an associated company of PSO with shareholding of 49 per cent.

The FIA personnel produced the suspect before the court on Wednesday after his physical remand ended. The judicial magistrate (south), Noor Mohammad Kalmati, sent him to prison on judicial remand till Nov 4 and asked the investigating officer to submit his report till the next hearing.

According to the FIA, an internal audit report conducted by the PSO for the period from 2005 to 2009 stated that the suspectin connivance with APL chief financial officer Mohammad Ali Baig and contractors embezzled funds. The former APL MD had not pursued a transparent tendering process for the selection of consultant, contractor and agreement of payment terms and approved 75 per cent advance payment, it added.