05 October 2004	Tuesday	19 Shaban 1425

KARACHI, Oct 4: An anti-terrorism court acquitted on Monday a man in a case pertaining to a series of firecracker explosion in and around the compound of Preedy police station in 1998.

Naeem Roofi, arrested on April 6, was exonerated from the charges of hurling as many as six fire crackers on the police station on March 31, 1998. His affiliation or the motive behind the explosions, however, was not brought on record by the prosecution.

Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who conducted the trial inside the Central Prison, acquitted him as the prosecution failed to bring on record the incriminating evidence against him.

According to prosecution, the accused first hurled three fire-crackers on the rear wall of the police station. Then he lobbed three other firecrackers in the compound from the front side, which injured four people, including three policemen.

It was alleged that the driver of a yellow cab (PG-8132), Irshad Hussain, was washing the vehicle, belonging to SI Mohammad Siddique, when a firecracker fell on the cab's roof. Both the driver and the owner of the taxi and two other policemen sustained injuries in the explosion.

Special public prosecutor Maula Bux Bhatti examined in all eight prosecution witnesses. The defendant, a clerk in the Defence Housing Authority, said he was implicated in the case by the police.

CONVOY ATTACK CASE: An anti-terrorism court adjourned the hearing of the corps commander convoy attack against 10 activists of the Jundullah as prosecution witness did not turn up. Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison, fixed Oct 13 for recording statements of prosecution witness.

Ataur Rehman alias Ibrahim, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah, Yaqoob Saeed, Uzair Ahmed, Shoaib Siddiqui, Danish Inam, Najeebullah, Khurrum Saifullah, Shahzad Mukhtar and Khalid Rao were charged with a series of offences, including attack on the motorcade of Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat, on June 10 on old Clifton bridge, which resulted in the death of six army personnel, three policemen and a passerby.

Special public prosecutor Maula Bux Bhatti informed the court that two doctors of the PNS Shifa, who had conducted the autopsies on the bodies, were not available due to their emergency duties.

The Jundullah men were charged with the offences under Sections 302, 324, 404 and 34 of PPC, Section 7 of the Anti- terrorist Act, 1997, and Section 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act. Adnan Shah alias Tipu, Mohammed Qasim, Maaz, Shahab, Bilal, Tayyeb, Hammad and Fasih have been declared absconders.

HAIDRI MOSQUE: Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 deferred the indictment of an accused in bomb blast cases in the Haideri Mosque and Imambargah Ali Raza on the request of the defence counsel.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 fixed Oct 10 for indictment of Gul Hasan, a worker of the banned Lashkar-i- Jhangvi, after defence counsel Mushtaq Tanoli sought adjournment due to his engagements in an another ATC.

The defence counsel submitted that he was engaged in the corps commander's convoy attack case as one of the defence counsel. More then 40 people were killed while several others injured when powerful bomb explosions occurred at Imambargah Haideri in Sindh Madressatul Islam on May 7 and Imambargah Ali Reza at M A Jinnah Road Karachi on May 31.

As many as 26 people were killed and over 40 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself inside the Haideri mosque on the premises of the Sindh Madressatul Islam.

The alleged mastermind of the blasts was arrested on June 13 within the limits of the Mithadar police. He is stated to have planned the attacks with absconding accused who included Asif Chuto and Mufti Obaid.