KARACHI, March 1: Judge Khan Pervez Chang of the Anti-Terrorism Court-IV for Karachi division on Friday appeared before Anti- Terrorism Appellate (ATA) bench of the Sindh High Court on a contempt of court notice.

The ATA bench, comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmany, summoned the ATC judge while hearing a contempt of court application made by an acquitted accused Imran Yousufzai, convicted and sentenced by ATC-IV in a murder case of police constable Abdul Ghafoor who was gunned down by un-identified gunmen on Sept 8, 1999.

Imran Yusufzai preferred an appeal before the ATA, challenging his conviction and sentence by the ATC, headed by Khan Pervez Chang.

The ATA on Feb 6 after hearing his appeal set aside the judgement and ordered the release of the accused if not wanted in any other case.

The orders were sent to the ATC but the accused was not released against which he filed a contempt of court application.

When the contempt application came up for hearing before the court on Thursday, the bench summoned the ATC judge.

The ATC judge appeared before the bench and submitted that “he even cannot think of disobeying the orders of the superior courts”.

In an explanation submitted by the ATC judge through the registrar of the SHC, the judge said he had issued necessary orders to his staff for complying with the orders by the ATA bench.

He said later no one contacted him and on a query, he was informed that the papers of the case were not received by ATC-IV staff from the SHC.

He further stated that he had already called an explanation from the concerned clerk.

The Superintendent of Central Prison, Karachi, also submitted an explanation in which he stated that the orders of the ATA bench and trial court were received simultaneously and were being processed. He informed the court that the accused would be freed by the evening.

The bench later put off further proceedings in the contempt application till March 4 while exempting the ATC judge from personal appearance on the next date of hearing.

The same bench also disposed of a constitutional petition challenging alleged illegal detention of three persons, Abdul Bari, Abdul Zahir and Sunny Gul.

The detainees were arrested by a police picket of Gulzar-i-Hijri.

When the petition came up for hearing, the concerned police produced two detainees, Bari and Zahir, before the court submitting that they were booked in different FIRs.

The police denied that they had arrested the third suspect, Sunny Gul.

The bench after this statement by the AAG and police disposed of the petition directing the petitioner to file a fresh petition regarding Sunny Gul.—APP