Bilal Ahmed v. The State,
PCrLJ 2012 796 · Balochistan High Court
This case involves an appeal by Bilal Ahmed, who was convicted by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta for possessing explosive substances-specifically two hand grenades with detonators-found on him during a search by CIA personnel in Pishin district. He was sentenced to seven years' rigorous imprisonment under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908.
On appeal, his lawyer argued the prosecution had no proper government sanction to try the case, that CIA officials wrongly conducted the investigation instead of merely assisting police, and that no expert report verified the recovered items were actually explosives, making the case against him false.
The Balochistan High Court rejected these arguments. It held that the correct procedure under the Anti-Terrorism Act had been followed, and that CIA personnel had only made the arrest and prepared seizure documents while a separate investigating officer conducted the actual investigation, so no unfairness resulted. The court also ruled that sending recovered material for expert/ballistic examination is not mandatory when direct, credible evidence already proves the case. It noted that under the law, once the prosecution proves someone was found with explosives, a legal presumption of guilt arises, shifting the burden onto the accused to prove innocence-which he failed to do.
Finding the prosecution's evidence convincing and the trial free of any prejudicial illegality, the High Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction and sentence. The case clarifies how procedural technicalities are treated in terrorism-related prosecutions and how
یہ مقدمہ بلال احمد کی اپیل سے متعلق ہے، جنہیں انسدادِ دہشت گردی عدالت کوئٹہ نے دھماکہ خیز مواد رکھنے کے جرم میں سزا سنائی تھی—خاص طور پر دو ہینڈ گرینیڈ بمعہ ڈیٹونیٹرز جو پشین ضلع میں سی آئی اے اہلکاروں کی تلاشی کے دوران ان کے قبضے سے برآمد ہوئے تھے۔ انہیں ایکسپلوسو سبسٹنسز ایکٹ 1908 کے تحت سات سال قید بامشقت کی سزا سنائی گئی۔
اپیل میں ان کے وکیل نے دلائل دیے کہ استغاثہ کے پاس مقدمہ چلانے کے لیے حکومت کی مناسب اجازت نہیں تھی، کہ سی آئی اے اہلکاروں نے محض پولیس کی معاونت کرنے کے بجائے خود تفتیش کا فریضہ سرانجام دیا جو کہ غلط تھا، اور یہ کہ برآمد شدہ اشیاء کے دھما