Lyari kingpin Uzair Baloch retracts confession in court

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday resumed hearing a police attack case against Lyari gang war kingpin Uzair Baloch, ARY News reported.

During the hearing, Baloch retracted his confessional statement saying, “I have never given a confessional statement.”

He asked the court to summon a judicial magistrate, Imran Zaidi, to confirm if he had given such a statement or not. “I am sure the magistrate will tell a lie in this regard,” he said.

Around 61 cases of heinous crimes have been registered against Uzair Baloch at several police stations of the city. He has been acquitted in some cases for want of evidence.

Last year in July, Baloch had denied giving any confessional statement under section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

Over the course of the hearing of 16 cases, including Arshad Pappu murder case, against him and others, he told the judge that he has not recorded any confessional statement before a judicial magistrate who, he claimed, made fallacious assertions in this regard.

The judge, pointing to the Lyari gang kingpin, said that he has been accused of murdering Arshad Pappu and asked whether or not he has committed the offense so the court could proceed with indicting him in the case. “I swear to God, I have committed no murder,” he replied.