KARACHI, Jan 21: The Sindh High Court administrative judge for anti- terrorism courts refused on Tuesday to remand two alleged killers of as many Muttahida Qaumi Movement activists in police custody as the FIR against them failed to disclose an offence triable under the Anti-terrorism Act.

Justice Ahmed observed that offence of murder as specified by the FIR could be tried by an ordinary criminal court of competent jurisdiction. It did not constitute a scheduled offence under the ATA.

Faizanullah, the chairman of Union Council 7, Gulberg Town, and another person were arrested by police and charged with the murder of Salman Faruqui and Syed Masood Ali of the MQM in a Jauharabad park during balloting for byelection on Jan 15.

Two other co-accused, Syed Munawwar Hassan, the Secretary-General of the Jamaat-i-Islami, and Merajul Huda Siddiqui, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal candidate in the byelection, are at large.

notice to AG: A division bench of the Sindh High Court on Tuesday put on notice former Sindh chief secretary Javed Ashraf, former education secretary Nazar Mehar and the accountant-general Sindh and other officers of the AG office, adds APP.

The bench comprised Justice Mohammed Roshan Essani and Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

The bench was hearing a contempt of court application moved by Gul Mohammed Hajano, the senior-most officer of the education department.

The applicant, relying on a number of judgments passed in his favour by the Supreme Court and the SHC directing the accountant-general Sindh to clear all his dues since August 1991, submitted that the orders were not implemented by the alleged contemnor. This constituted contempt of court, the applicant maintained.

After hearing initial arguments by counsel for the petitioner, the court issued notices to the respondents for a date to be fixed later by the office of the court.

Another bench of the SHC, consisting of Justice Wahid Bux Brohi and Justice Moosa K. Leghari, put off the hearing of an appeal, filed by Mian Akhtar Paganwala, convicted by an accountability court in a bank default case, to Wednesday.

The appellant was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs50 million by the accountability court.

According to the prosecution, the accused, in 1981, bought Mas Dairies (Private) Ltd with all liabilities, including financial assistance extended to the concern to the tune of Rs29 million. They defaulted in payments and later absconded.

The absconders/accused include Mian Nisar A. Paganwala, Ms Kaneez Akhtar, Mian Absar Akhtar, Mehfooz-ur-Rahman, Nazim-ul-Haq, S. N. Qadri and Asmat Waqar.

Abdul Hafeez Lakho, counsel for the appellant/accused, will resume arguments on Wednesday. The state will be represented by Mohammed Akbar Khan, newly- appointed special prosecutor in the case.