July 18, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1423

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LAHORE, July 17: The anti-terrorism courts’ prosecution cell has finalized the charge-sheet for submission to an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Muzaffargarh for the trial of the accused in the Mukhtaran Bibi gang-rape case.

The Punjab Law Department gave the deadline of July 18 for the completion of the charge-sheet against 13 accused in the case. Punjab ATCs Chief Prosecutor Asghar Gill handed over the charge-sheet to the Muzaffargarh police. The charge-sheet is likely to be submitted to the court on Thursday (today).

Gill told Dawn on Wednesday that the charge-sheet had primarily been based on section 6(2)(b) according to which “an action would fall within the meaning of terrorism if it involves grievous violence against a person or grievous bodily injury or harm to a person.”

The prosecution attached section 10-A of the Hudood Ordinance, section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code (abetment with an accused) and section 353-A of the PPC (making someone do a prohibited activity).

When asked that the offence of gang-rape was not covered by the Anti-Terrorism Act following an amendment last year, Mr Gill said the prosecution would try to prove the case under section 6(2)(b) by relying solely on the dictionary meaning of the word “violence” which, according to him, covered gang-rape.

“I have done my level best to prepare the challan under this section following instructions from the law department. The rest lies with our luck,” he said.

Meanwhile, the accused in the case — Mastois and ASI Muhammad Iqbal — hired Advocate Malik Muhammad Saleem of Dera Ghazi Khan to defend them in the court.