KARACHI, June 20: An anti-terrorism court acquitted on Tuesday six workers of the banned Jundullah group in two cases of bomb blasts. Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who announced the judgments inside the Central Prison, exonerated the activists of the banned outfit while giving them benefit of doubt as prosecution could not prove its cases “beyond any reasonable shadow of doubt.”
Ataur Rehman, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwa, Shahzad Mukhtar and Rao Khalid were tried for planting a bomb in a Suzuki hi-roof and throwing a hand-grenade in front of the Pakistan Bible Society near Avari Hotel on Jan 15, 2004. As many 13 policemen were injured in the incident.
The second case pertained to a car bomb blast at the car parking of the Marina Club in DHA on April 10, 2004, that had killed a man and injured nine others. The incident coincided with a musical concert of Indian singer Sonu Nigam.
Mushtaq Ahmed, counsel for Shahzad Mukhtar, said the court acquitted his clients as the prosecution miserably failed to bring a shred of evidence against his client.
M R Syed, who represented other five Jundullah men, said the deposition of the prosecution was “not trustworthy in the eyes of the law as it contained several contradictions.”
The prosecution was represented by Iqtidar Ali Hashmi and Ghulam Qadir Rajput.
The same court (ATC-2) had earlier condemned 11 Jundullah activists to death in February in the corps commander convoy attack case.
Ataur Rehman and Shahzad Bajwa were also sentenced to death for killing two Rangers' personnel and injuring five others in Ferozabad.
The Jundullah men are also waiting their trial in three different cases pertaining to car-bombings outside the Pakistan American Cultural Centre on May 26, 2004, in which 37 people, including police personnel and media men were injured; killing of five policemen at Gulistan-i-Johar police station Karachi on April 4, 2004, and killing of two policemen in Saudabad on June 24, 2003.
PLEA DISMISSED: Judge Ghulam Ali A. Samtio dismissed an application seeking shifting of a sectarian murder case to the district and sessions court.
The case pertained to killing of Syed Asghar Ali Zaidi, an owner of barber shop, on May 7, 2002 in Baghdadi.
Two alleged activists of the Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi, Tahseen alias Rashid alias Sufi and Usman, are facing the charges.
According to the prosecution, the barber was standing outside his shop when two motorcyclists came there and shot him dead.
The Baghdadi police initially registered the case against unknown culprits. However, later the two accused, who were already arrested, were charged with the murder and arrested in the case on March 28, 2006.
Defence counsel Mushtaq Ahmed had prayed the court to transfer the case to ordinary court as it did not fall in the ambit of Anti-terrorism Act.
Special public prosecutor objected to the contention of the defence counsel and submitted that it was the case of targeted sectarian killing as the victim belonged to Shia sect while the accused belonged to a banned outfit.
After hearing arguments from the defence and prosecution sides, the judge dismissed the defence counsel’s application and he fixed Wednesday for formal indictment of the two accused.
