Uzair Baloch complains of lack of access to TV cable at sub-jail

An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday directed jail authorities to submit a report on an application filed by outlawed Peoples Aman Committee chief Uzair Baloch seeking action against them for not allowing his meeting with family once a week and providing other facilities at a Rangers-manned sub-jail.

Baloch moved a handwritten application before the ATC-VII judge as he was brought to the judicial complex inside the central prison for the hearing of cases pertaining to explosives and encounter with police. He has been kept at the Mitha Ram Hostel following his conviction by a military court on espionage charges in April 2020.

In the application, a copy of which is available with The News, he stated that he had submitted multiple applications to the court before, yet he was being allowed to meet his family once every two weeks. He said that whenever the court sought reply from jail authorities, they said they were allowing him a meeting every week.

"Jail authorities are lying to the court. I am also not being allowed to offer Friday prayers in a mosque, nor am I provided TV cable," he complained, requesting the judge to visit the sub-jail himself to witness the "injustices" being meted out to him.

To a query, the accused said that though had been provided a television, he could neither watch news channels nor any entertainment programme due to lack of cable. Uzair's lawyer Hyder Farooq Jatoi contended that other inmates were allowed two meetings a week but his client was allowed one meeting every two weeks. He pleaded with the judge to order the authorities to provide his client facilities as per the jail manual.

The judge directed the jail superintendent to submit his report on the next hearing set for December 24.

Uzair was booked in dozens of cases pertaining to murder, kidnapping, encounter with police during the 2012 operation in Lyari, grenade attacks on law enforcement personnel, and running an extortion racket. However, he has already been acquitted in more than half the cases due to insufficient evidence or the benefit of doubt. In April 2020, Uzair was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a military court in an espionage case.