Pak minister says Sindh govt report on Uzair Baloch 'different from original'

A day after the Sindh government, in a special Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report, termed Lyari-based gangster Uzair Baloch an Iranian spy, the country's Minister for Shipping and Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi appealed to Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed to take suo motu notice of the findings, alleging that it was different from the "original".

A day after the Sindh government, in a special Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report, termed Lyari-based gangster Uzair Baloch an Iran spy, the country's Minister for Shipping and Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi appealed to Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed to take suo motu notice of the findings, alleging that it was different from the "original".

According to Dawn, Zaidi, on Tuesday, speaking alongside Information Minister Shibli Faraz at a press conference in Islamabad, addressed the Chief Justice, "You are also from Karachi, you have seen how Karachi has been systematically destroyed," as he presented a separate report different from the Sindh government.

On Monday, the Sindh government made public the JIT reports of three high-profile cases -- concerning Baloch, the Baldia factory fire incident and former chairman of the Fishermen Cooperative Society Nisar Morai -- after much controversy and litigation in courts.

Addressing the media at the outset of the presser, the Information Minister said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had come into power to take the country forward.

"We want to rid the people of those who support gangs... Zaidi raised this (issue) in the National Assembly because we believe that the purpose of the report is to inform the public about the facts," Faraz said.

"(Zaidi) also went to court because the reports were not being released. Some parties harmed the province for their personal interests and made it a 'personal state'," he added.

During the press conference, Zaidi criticised the JIT report released by the Sindh government for allegedly omitting important information about the motives behind the killings and on whose orders they were carried out.

He said that he had initially written a letter to the Sindh chief secretary in 2016 for the reports to be released, before he was elected as a minister, under the Right to Information Act, 2013.

However, after receiving no response, the minister decided to approach the Sindh High Court (SHC).

Zaidi, presenting what he called was the "original" JIT report on Baloch, said that the gang leader had confessed that he met (then) Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah and Faryal Talpur, sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari, and asked that the head money against him be removed.

Baloch allegedly said the head money was withdrawn on Talpur and Zardari's order.

A six-member JIT was formed by the Sindh government in February 2016 to interrogate Baloch, comprising representatives of security and intelligence agencies.

The JIT unmously declared him as "black" -- guilty of the crimes alleged, finding that Baloch along with his gang members was involved in a large number of murders/target killings of his rivals and innocent citizens including ethnic and "politically motivated killings".

( With inputs from ANI )