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KARACHI, March 18: An anti-terrorism appellate bench of the Sindh High Court put off on Monday the hearing of the appeals of two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Ahmed Saeed alias Bharam and Mohammed Salim, till April 8, challenging their death sentence awarded by an anti-terrorism court on charges of killing four American and one Pakistani employees of Union Texas Pakistan in 1997.
The appellants’ counsel, Barrister Azizullah Shaikh, submitted before the bench, comprising Justice Ghulam Nabi Soomro and Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani, that the incident took place on November 12, 1997 near the PIDC bridge in the police limits of TPX and the first investigation officer of the case, SHO Malik Ahsan, recorded the statements of witnesses under section 161 of CrPC.
He contended that the SHO TPX recorded the statements of two eyewitnesses, Fazal Dad and Shaukat, who saw a red car and two young men leaving the car soon after the incident, but these witnesses were never produced in the trial court and in the challan of the case their names were also not included.
He was on his feet when the court adjourned the hearing. Mr Shaikh would continue arguments on the next date of hearing.
Judge Husain Bakhsh Khoso of the ATC-IV awarded death sentence to the appellants on two counts with a fine of Rs200,000 each. The court also awarded seven years’ rigorous imprisonment to Ahmed Saeed on a charge of possessing illegal weapon.
According to the prosecution, on November 12, 1997 complainant Asim Raees Khan, an employee of the UTP, lodged an FIR at TPX police station that unknown persons opened indiscriminate firing on car No J-0812 of the UTP at the PIDC bridge on Maulvi Tameezuddin Khan Road which resulted in the death of five persons, driver Anwar Mirza and four Americans, L-Jemming, J-Enlo, T-Ritchie and E-Egbo.
REMANDED: Justice Ghulam Rabbani of the Sindh High Court remanded the two partners of Alliance Motor Company, Asghar Ali Qureshi and Hamid Ali Qureshi, in judicial custody.
The accused were arrested in Lahore on Saturday by FIA as they were wanted in a fraud case involving millions of rupees.
BAIL GRANTED: Justice Zia Pervez of the Sindh High Court granted bail in sum of Rs50,000 to accused Abdul Rahim allegedly involved in a case pertaining to trying to go abroad on fake passport.
The applicant moved the SHC as on Feb 13 an additional district and sessions judge, Malir, dismissed his bail application.
According to the prosecution, on Jan 8 FIA officials offloaded the accused, Abdul Rahim, from a Riyadh-bound PIA flight (No PK-729) when he was attempting to travel abroad on a passport issued in the name of Rehmat Ali. He was booked under section 6 (1) (e) (g) of the Passport Act of 1974 read with section 17 of the Emigration Ordinance of 1979.
The same bench granted bail in sum of Rs100,000 to an alleged bandit, Muazzam Ahmed alias Munno.
The court passed the order after hearing the contentions of the applicant’s counsel, Ashraf Kazi, and state counsel Javed Akhtar.
It was the case of prosecution that accused Muazzam and co-accused Shahid armed, with TT pistols, on December 15, 2001 barged into the house of complainant Syed Hamid Raza in the police limits of Mehmodabad for committing robbery. However, women raised alarm that attracted the area people and they apprehended the accused, Muazzam, while he was fleeing away. The co-accused, Shahid, escaped.
The applicant’s counsel contended that although the applicant had been apprehended on the spot, no recovery of weapon alleged to have been in his possession and use had been recovered. He said according to claim in the FIR the weapon had been thrown into a drain did not amount to satisfactory explanation and no incident of firing, injuring or theft of property had been recorded. He prayed the court to release his client on bail.
The court granted bail to the accused.
ADJOURNED: Justice Sarmad Jalal Osmani of the High Court of Sindh put off the hearing of an application seeking cancellation of bail granted to two accused in a forgery case.— PPI/APP
