KARACHI, June 23: An Anti-Terrorism Court deferred on Monday the judgment in a suicide bombing case in which 11 French naval engineers and two Pakistanis were killed.
Judge Feroz Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who conducted the trial inside the central prison, fixed Tuesday for the pronouncement of the judgment.
Mohammed Asif Zaheer and Rizwanullah, who were allegedly trained in a camp belonging to Harkat Jihad-i-Islami in Afghanistan, are facing charges of killing 13 persons in a suicide bomb attack last year.
The French engineers, who were helping Pakistan build its Agosta 90-B submarine, were killed when an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a bus that was carrying them outside the Sheraton hotel.
The victims included Leclerc Jean Yves, Bled Cedric, Groux Pascal, Le Carpentier Daniel, Chevassut Jean Michel, Leconte Pascal, Drouet Claude, Dupont Bernard. A Pakistani woman was also among the dead.
MURDER CASE: Judge Haq Nawaz of the ATC-5 put off the hearing of a case pertaining to the killing of a constable after the statements of two prosecution witnesses.
Kashif Aziz alias Kashif Mota and Mohammed Zahir are being prosecuted for killing police constable Mehboob Ali and injuring sub-inspector Abdur Rauf and head constable Mohammed Rafique on January 13 in the Saudabad police compound.
The judge fixed June 26 for the next hearing after the statements of police constable Hajam Khan and assistant sub-inspector Manzoor Solangi.
According to prosecution, five suspects were spotted by a Saudabad police party in a stolen car (AAB-588). The police party intercepted them and brought the suspects and their car to the police station.
As the suspects got off the car one of them hurled a fire cracker at the party. Then the suspects snatched a sub-machine gun from a constable and opened fire on the police killing constable Mehboob and injuring two other policemen. The five suspects then escaped from the scene.
Later on April 3 the Orangi Town police arrested accused Kashif and Zahir who were handed over to the Saudabad police for investigation.
The prosecution, represented by special public prosecutor Syed Nadeem Hussain Shah, have so far examined nine prosecution witnesses.
Zahid Rohila and Khawaja Sharful Islam, defence counsel for accused Kashif and Zahir respectively, also cross examined the prosecution witnesses.
Meanwhile, Judge Arshad Noor Khan of Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC)-III Karachi on Monday reserved the judgment against the accused Bahram and Sub-Inspector Police Pir Buksh Junejo involved in the murder case of a lawyer, add agencies.
The judge on Monday, after concluding the arguments of counsels of both sides, fixed June 25, 2003 for announcement of the judgment.
The accused men were charged with killing a lawyer Ashraf Rajput in the courtroom of the Sindh High Court in Karachi on April 15, 2003.
According to prosecution, Behram entered the courtroom of Justice Zawar Hussain Jaffery of SHC to kill Matooq Ali Shah in order to take revenge for the death of his uncle Ali Mardan.
