KARACHI: Hearing again put off in convoy attack case
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, July 25: An anti-terrorism court put off on Monday the hearing of the corps commander’s convoy attack case against 11 workers of the banned Jundullah group as the prosecution witness did not turn up. Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti fixed July 28 for the next hearing after the special public prosecutor informed the court that the prosecution witness was not available.
The prosecution, represented by Iqtidar Ali Hashmi and Maula Bux Bhatti, has so far examined 11 prosecution witnesses. Ataur Rehman alias Ibrahim, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah, Yaqoob Saeed, Uzair Ahmed, Shoiab Siddiqui, Danish Inam, Najeebullah, Khurrum Saifullah, Shahzad Mukhtar, Khalid Rao and Adnan Shah alias Tipu have been charged with a series of offences, including attack on the motorcade of Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat on June 10, last year on the old Clifton bridge, which resulted in the death of six army personnel, three policemen and a passerby.
Mohammed Qasim, Maaz, Shahab, Bilal, Tayyeb, Hammad and Fasih have been declared absconders.
RANSOM CASE: An anti-terrorism court put off hearing of a kidnapping for ransom case after recording the statement of the accused.
Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 fixed Tuesday when the accused would record his statement on oath and he would also produce defence witnesses.
Nadeem Ashrafi alias Nadeem Katta, who was earlier an absconding accused in the case, is being tried for kidnapping of the 19-year-old victim on September 26, 2003, for ransom in the limits of the Sir Syed Town police station.
The same court had earlier awarded death penalty to two accused – Khalid Abbas and Mohammed Ali – in the instant case.
According to prosecution, the accused kidnapped Adnan and demanded Rs1 million for his release. The kidnappers used the victim’s cellular phone for negotiation with his family.
The family told the kidnappers that they did not have that much amount of money and had only Rs30,000 at their house. The kidnappers asked them to bring Rs30,000 at a desolate place near Nagin Chowrangi.
