KARACHI: ATC fines investigation officer in murder case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Nov 20: An anti-terrorism court fined on Saturday the investigation officer of a murder case of four women and a young man for his "highly deprecated behaviour".
Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 also directed the Sindh police chief to initiate departmental inquiry and action against Inspector Mohammed Iqbal Awan of Surjani, who neither brought the case property with him, nor could produce any of the prosecution witnesses.
The judge imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the investigation officer and ordered him to produce prosecution witnesses and case property on Monday.
The judge wrote to the IGP that the conduct, attitude and reputation of the investigation officer reflected his ulterior motive that he wanted to give benefit to accused Riaz Ahmed, who was arrested on Aug 29, 1999.
The case pertained to the murder of a woman, her two young daughters and a son, and their neighbourer on June 11 in her house in Surjani. The four women were also gang-raped by four bandits.
Earlier, on July 15, 1999, the then judge of the ATC, Mohammad Javed Alam, had prosecuted three accused for murder of Shahnaz, and her daughter, her son Maqsood, and their neighbour Momal.
The ATC-5 sentenced Amjad Khan alias Amjad Lodhi to death and acquitted the third accused Rehan. However, later the Sindh High Court set aside the sentence on the appeals of the convicts.
The court also acquitted accused Amjad and Rehan of the charge of possessing illegal arms. According to prosecution, a revolver and a dagger were recovered from accused Amjad and Rehan, respectively.
CHARGES FRAMED: The same court indicted a worker of the banned Hizbul Tahreer in a case pertaining to the distribution of objectionable pamphlets.
Syed Suleman Hasan, arrested on Oct 10 by the Supermarket police while giving away pamphlets in front of a mosque in Liaquatabad, denied the charges and pleaded "not guilty".
The judge fixed Monday for the next hearing and ordered the special public prosecutor to produce the prosecution witnesses.
CORRUPTION CASE: An accountability court put off hearing of a corruption reference against Javed Burki, a former federal secretary and former chief of the Pakistan Automobile Corporation PACO), and another accused in a Rs1.7 billion corruption case after partially recording the statement of a prosecution witness.
Judge Parkash Lal Ambwani of AC-4 fixed Dec 8 for the next hearing after the partial deposition by Abdur Rauf, former general manager of PACO.
The two accused, both on bail granted by the Sindh High Court, appeared in the court. Abdul Hafeez Lakho and Ismat Mehdi, defence counsel for Mr Burki and Mr Niazi, respectively, and special public prosecutors Shaukat Hiyat and Khalid Mehmood Siddiqui were present.
The reference against Mr Burki and Mr Niazi was filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Dec 20, 2003.
It was alleged that the PACO suffered huge financial losses, which ultimately brought about its closure in 1997. Besides, the financial investment of the Pakistan Army in the project allegedly went down the drain.
ACQUITTED: The additional district and sessions judge, West, Ms Gulshan Ara Chandio, acquitted on Saturday two workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a case pertaining to attempt to kill policemen during a shootout.
Mohammed Ashiq and Salim alias Negro were exonerated from charges as the prosecution could not bring on record sufficient evidence against them.
According to prosecution, the armed Muttahida men took position at a place in Orangi and opened fire on the police party. The police also returned the fire in which one of the activists, Iftikhar, was also killed.
BAIL GRANTED: The additional district and sessions judge, West, Shahid Shafi, granted bail to an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a murder case.
The judge gave Ibrahim Bhola bail in the sum of Rs 200,000. He was booked in 1995 in the murder case of an unknown person.
