HYDERABAD, Oct 31: The Crime Branch, Karachi, once again failed to submit its report of investigation before the STA Court, Hyderabad, along with the evidence in the light of which the Crime Branch had exonerated the names of former MNA Hakim Ali Zardari and Zanwar Ghulam Hyder from the double murder case of Alam Baluch and his gunman, Imdad Baluch, on Wednesday.

The STA court has issued notices to the investigating officer of the Crime Branch, DSP Zarar Khan, to appear in the court on the next date of hearing.

The Crime Branch official has to submit the supplementary chargesheet in the double murder case as he has completed his re-investigation of the case which was assigned to him several months back as the complainant had expressed dissatisfaction over the investigation of the case earlier.

No intimation was sent to the court as the investigating officer did not turn up in court today.

In the reinvestigation report of the Crime Branch, the names of Hakim Ali Zardari and Zanwar Ghulam Hyder have either been exonerated or omitted. Similarly, the names of two more accused, Inayat alias Adher Jamali and Nawab Leghari have been recommended for prosecution.

The prosecution of the district police, Hyderabad, was the first to raise objections on the reinvestigation report and had asked Qasimabad to send back the report to the Crime Branch Karachi.

According to the DSP Prosecution, the Crime Branch official did not even bother to mention in its report as to what sort of evidence it had collected which paved the way for the exclusion and inclusion of two names of the accused in the case. Even after objections by the PDSP of Hyderabad, the Crime Branch did not clarify these two important points and tried to submit the supplementary chargesheet before the STA court on Oct 8.

When the in charge, STA, Judge Ameer Ali Thari went through the report of the supplementary chargesheet he also noted both these points. He called the DSP, Zarar Khan, on Oct 31.

The SHO, Qasimabad police station, Ayub Patoli claimed that the crime branch, DSP Zarar Khan, did not inform the Qasimabad police (which had actually chargesheeted the case first having territorial jurisdiction of the double murder case) as why and how the names of Hakim Ali Zardari and Zanwar Ghulam Hyder have been omitted or exonerated in reinvestigation and names of two more accused, Nawab Leghari and Inayat alias Adher Jamali, had been recommended for prosecution in the case.

DSP Zarar Khan undertook to bring evidence and place it before the court on Oct 31. However, he did not appear before the court and the matter was adjourned to another date.

Only Zafar Meerani, Zanwar Ghulam Hyder, and Asif Ali Zardari (he has been granted bail in the matter) were in custody. The rest of the accused — Abdul Lateef, Abdul Shakoor, Abdul Hafeez, A. Dad Zardari alias Porho Zardari, Ghulam Nabi, and A. Wasayo Zardari attended the court.

Hakim Ali Zardari has been exempted from attending the court. He has also been granted bail and has submitted his surety in the Supreme Court.

It may be recalled that Alam Baluch and his gunman were gunned down on October 18, 1997 near Wadhuwah while they were returning home after attending a hearing in a land dispute case. The murder case was lodged at the Qasimabad police station. Two prime prosecution witnesses — Amir Shafat Almani, maternal nephew of the late Alam Baluch, and A. Wasayo Almani have already identified Asif Zardari and Zafar Meerani in the case before the ACM, City, and Civil Judge Saudagar Ali Solangi on July 7.

Four years have elapsed yet the charges have not been framed in the case which was to be tried inside the central jail, Karachi, as per notification of the Sindh Government.