KARACHI, June 28: The additional district and sessions judge-II, Central, on Saturday indicted five suspected terrorists for possessing illegal weapons and explosive substance and for planning attacks on mourning processions during Ashura.
However, pleading not guilty, the accused opted to contest the case. The judge, Nelofer Shahnawaz, summoned all the prosecution witnesses directing them to appear in the court on the next hearing to testify in the case.
According to the prosecution, five suspected terrorists identified as Syed Mohammed Waseem alias Imran, Mohammed Aijaz alias Abdul Rehman, Jamil Ahmed alias Wazir Akbar, Mohammed Hamid alias Qasim and a would be suicide bomber Aziz Ahmed alias Mohammed Khan were arrested by the CID police from North Karachi. The suspects were allegedly planning to carry out suicide attacks on the processions during Ashura.
The investigation officer stated in the charge-sheet that acting on a tip-off the CID police conducted a raid on a house in North Karachi on January 19. The house reportedly served as the suspects’ hideout where they also used to store weapons and other explosives. During the raid, the suspects opened fire on the police party but were finally arrested after a shootout. The CID police had seized illegal weapons and explosives from the possession of the accused.
Six cases (FIR Nos 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10/08) were registered against the accused under Sections 324, 353/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 13-D of Arms Ordinance and 3/4 of Explosive Act at the New Karachi police station. The court has fixed July 12 as the next date of hearing.
Warrants re-issued
The additional district and sessions judge-VII, South, Irfan Hussain Siddiqui, re-issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the former chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Saifur Rehman Khan, his brother, Mujibur Rehman Khan, the former inspector-general of Sindh police, Rana Maqbool, former DIG Farooq Amin Qureshi and the former superintendent of the Central Prison, Karachi, Najaf Mirza, in a case pertaining to an attempt on the life of Asif Ali Zardari in 1999.
Earlier, on June 14 the court had issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the accused and directed the investigation officer to arrest them and produce them in the court.
However, the IO in the case submitted a report in court on Saturday stating that the police were still searching for the accused and therefore, needed more time. He argued that some of them had left the country.
Appearing in court on behalf of Mr Zardari, Adnan Karim advocate accused the police of deliberately avoiding arrest of the accused as some of them belonged to the police force.
He requested the court to seek the help of the Interpol for the arrest of those staying in foreign countries.
However, the court asked Zardari’s counsel to submit an application in this regard and re-issued non-bailable arrest warrants of the accused and fixed July 12 as the next date of hearing.
The judge directed the SSP (Special Investigation Unit) to arrest the accused and produce them in court on the next date.
Earlier on June 14, the investigation officer, Inspector Tairq Ali had submitted a charge-sheet in the court, in which he had also nominated former DSP Amanat Javed and Naveed Saeed as the co-accused in the case. However, the court was informed that both the accused had passed away.
According to the prosecution, the respondents had unlawfully obtained Mr Zardari’s physical custody from an anti-terrorism court on the night between May 15 and May 16, 1999.
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