KARACHI, March 28: The trial of three high profile cases, including the corps commander convoy attack case, could not proceed on Monday as the defence attorneys did not turn up.
Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who is conducting the trial of the corps commander attack case against 11 workers of the banned Jundullah inside the Central Prison, had to put off the hearing for umpteenth time due to the incessant absence of defence attorneys.
Only two defence counsel – M. R. Syed and Mushtaq Ali – and special public prosecutors – Iqtidar Ali Hashmi and Maula Bux Bhatti - were present in the court.
The trial of the case has come to a halt since the indictment of Ataur Rehman alias Ibrahim, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah, Yaqoob Saeed, Uzair Ahmed, Shoiab Siddiqui, Danish Inam, Najeebullah, Khurrum Saifullah, Shahzad Mukhtar and Khalid Rao on Sept 23 last.
The Jundullah men have been charged with a series of offences, including attack on the motorcade of Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat on June 10 on the Old Clifton Bridge, which resulted in the death of six army personnel, three policemen and a passer-by.
Under the law, the court cannot proceed with the case unless each and every defendant is represented by an attorney as the offences involved capital punishment.
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.
While the prosecution has cited as many as 90 prosecution witnesses in the case, not a single PW has so far examined.
The judge put off the hearing till April 2.
The same court put off hearing of the rangers mobile attack case against two activists of the banned Jundullah due to the absence of the defence attorneys.
Ataur Rahman and Shahzad Bajwa have been charged with the killing of two sepoys of Rangers and injuring five others in an attack on a rangers mobile van on March 19, last year under the Baloch Colony Bridge in Ferozabad police area.
MOSQUE BLAST CASES: Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 put off the hearing of the Masjid Ali Raza bomb blast case and Haideri Mosque blast case against a worker of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi as defence counsel did not turn up.
The judge fixed March 30 for the next hearing of the two cases.
As many as 25 faithful had been killed and 37 others injured on May 31 last when a suicide bomber blew himself inside the Masjid Ali Raza at Old Numaish.
As many as 26 people were killed and 98 others injured on May 7 when a suicide bomber blew himself inside the Haideri mosque on the premises of Sindh Madarsatul Islam.
Accused Gul Hasan, arrested on June 13, is stated to have been the mastermind of the two bomb blasts at Haideri Mosque and Imambargah Ali Raza. He is alleged to have planned attacks with absconding accused that included Asif Chutto and Mufti Obaid.
Special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum has closed the prosecution side in the Haider Mosque blast case. He examined in all 46 PWs, including the father of the suicide bomber.
The prosecution is still examining its witnesses in the Ali Raza bomb blast case. As many as 38 PWs have so far been examined in the case.
KIDNAPPING CASE: An anti-terrorism court adjourned the hearing of a kidnapping for ransom case against two accused persons after recording the statements of the accused persons.
Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 fixed Tuesday for hearing final arguments from the prosecution and defence attorneys.
Mohammad Rasheed and Imam Hasan have been charged with the kidnapping of Mohammad Sabir and his son Qaiser for ransom in Docks police area on Sept 9, 2003.
The two accused denied the charges and stated that they had been implicated in the case by the police.
