KARACHI: Prosecution seeks death in sectarian killing case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 11: The prosecution prayed on Tuesday to an anti-terrorism court to award death penalty to the chief of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and his three alleged accomplices in a sectarian murder case.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5, who conducted the trial inside the Juvenile Prison, reserved the judgment till Nov 15 after hearing the final arguments by the prosecution and defence sides.
LJ chief Akram Lahori, Ataullah, Muhammed Azam and Malik Tassaduq, were charged with the killing of Seth Ramzan Ali, owner of Pak Iranian Tea Company, at his outlet in Saddar on Feb 11, last year.
Ehsan Ali, an employee at the tea company, and Muhammed Firdous, a customer, were also wounded in the attack. One of the attackers also hurled an explosive device.
Public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum, who examined in all 16 witnesses including three eye-witnesses, contended that the accused should be given death penalty as the prosecution proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt.
One of the eye-witnesses, Firdous, stated that he had been running a tea stall near the Iranian Tea Company for the last 25 years. He said he had come to the shop to buy tea leaves. He said he saw the four accused on two motorcycles pulling up in front of the tea shop.
The prosecution witness submitted that the pillion-riders, Ataullah and Azam, alighted from the bikes and Ata opened fire. He said Ramazan Ali, Ehsan Ali and he sustained bullet wounds. He said Azam also hurled an explosive device before they fled the scene.
The prosecutor argued that the empties found at the scene matched the pistol seized from Ataullah.
Besides, he said the eye-witnesses had identified the accused with their specific role in the attack.
The special public prosecutor contended that the accused were leaders and workers of the banned sectarian outfit and the victim belonged to the rival sect.
M. R. Syed appeared for accused Lahori, Ataullah and Azam, and Sarfraz Tanoli for accused Malik Tassaduq.
The defence counsel argued that their clients were implicated in the case at the behest of the police. They said the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt as there were material contradictions in the depositions of the prosecution witnesses.
The four accused had already been convicted in several other sectarian murder cases and they had been award death penalty and life imprisonment.
ACQUITTED: An additional district and sessions court, south, acquitted all accused, including the absconders, in a case pertaining to rocket attack at the District South police headquarters in Garden in 1995.
The case was registered by the Garden police against the top leaders and workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.
Abdul Hameed, Nadeem Qureshi, Wajida Begum, Khalida, Saeeda Mohsin, Hussain Shah and Yasmeen were wounded on Nov 13, 1995 when the rocket-propelled grenades hit their residence on the premises of the police headquarters.
Shoaib Bukhari, Muhammed Jameel, Salahuddin, Habib Langra, Mansoor Ali Siddiqui, Aslam Qureshi, Mohammed Mohsin and Saulat Mirza were charge-sheeted in the case. Many of them were later bailed out, while others were still in custody.
Party chief Altaf Hussain, secretary general Dr Imran Farooq, Ajmal Dehlavi, and workers Ashraf, Faheem Bhora, Rao Tasawwur, Muhammed Shahid, Shafiq, Naseeruddin, Liaquat Mithani, Mehmood alias Tunda, Shahid Ismail, Shahid Ali, Ramazan, Nawwab, Nayaab, Naeem Chitta and Muhammed Khalid were shown as absconding accused.
The court exonerated all accused, including the absconders, from all charges for want of the incriminating evidence against them.
