KARACHI, Feb 13: An anti-terrorism court directed on Monday the defence counsel for sacked provincial revenue minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh to produce his client before the court on Feb 16.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 issued the direction after dismissing an application of the defence counsel seeking personal appearance of the sacked minister in the court in a kidnapping for ransom case.
The judge fixed the next hearing for formal indictment of the accused. Special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum is representing the state.
The judge also issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of a co-accused, Ateeq Ahmed Siddiqui, for not appearing before the court. The accused was on bail granted by the Sindh High Court.
The case against Imtiaz Shaikh and co-accused Agha Asghar, Nasir Mehmood, Mehmood Zakir, Mohammad Ashfaq and Ateeq Ahmed Siddiqui was registered by the Korangi police on March 28, 2005, on the complaint of Zafar Iqbal, who alleged that his 17-year-old son was kidnapped on June 28, 2003 on the directives of the sacked minister.
The complainant alleged that the accused kidnapped Umer Iqbal from his house in Qayyumabad and demanded Rs1.5 million from his wife for the release of his son. He further alleged that the accused released his son after receiving Rs700,000 at the house of Imtiaz Shaikh.
Mehfooz Ahmed, an alleged associate of the sacked minister, was the only arrested accused in the case. Imtiaz Sheikh was granted interim bail by the Sindh High Court.
Hearing put off: Feroz Mehmood Bhatti, Judge, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC-II) for Karachi division, on Monday summoned prosecution witnesses (PWs) in a blast case against four activists of the banned outfit Jundullah on Feb 16, add agencies.
Earlier, the court recorded statement of Saeedullah Khan, a member of Qawwal group led by Amjad Sabri. The PW stated that on April 10, 2004, a show was organized at the Country Club where Indian singer Sonu Nigam and Pakistani artists were scheduled to perform.
The PW said that when he reached the venue, accompanied by his three daughters, a bomb exploded in which he and his daughter sustained injuries. He expressed ignorance when asked by Special Public Prosecutor about perpetrators of the bomb blast after which the court summoned all the remaining PWs.
The accused included Ata-ur-Rahman and Shehzad Bajwa of the banned out fit.
They have been convicted and sentenced in case of attacking cavalcade of Corps Commander Karachi.
Charge sheet: An administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts in Karachi on Monday accepted charge sheet against two accused in policeman killing case and sent their case to ATC-V for trial.
Sohail and Shahjehan were arrested by police for killing ASI Mohammad Riaz in Chakiwara on Jan 3.
The police said that the accused, along with absconding co-accused killed ASI Riaz, who is taking part in police crackdown against gangsters in Lyari Town. The charge sheet against the accused was submitted before AJ after conclusion of investigation.
AJ Justice Khliji Arif Hussain, accepting charge sheet, sent the case to ATC-V for trial.
PLEA TURNED DOWN: Administrative judge of Anti-Terrorism Courts in Karachi on Monday turned down police request for remand of two activists of Hizbul Tehrir, arrested three days back by police for distributing pamphlets outside a mosque in North Nazimabad. Refusing the remand request, the AJ observed that remand could not be entertained as case does not fall within ambit of Anti- Terrorism Act.
