March 20, 2007	Tuesday	Safar 30, 1428

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GUJRANWALA, March 19: The Anti-Terrorism Court No 2 will likely to give its verdict on Punjab minister Zille Huma’s murder case on Tuesday (today) after the court wrapped up the hearing on Monday.

During the hearing, the court recorded the statement of two inquiry officers, inspector Ghulam Muhammad and sub-inspector Akber Munir. Defense counsel Muhammad Tariq quizzed the prosecution witnesses.

Recording his statement to the court, accused Muhammad Sarwer denied the charges leveled against him. The accused claimed that the provincial minister had fallen victim to a stray bullet. He said the police had arrested him from his shop in Daal Bazaar on the day of incident.

The court recorded evidence of some 15 prosecution witnesses.

According to the prosecution, Punjab social welfare minister Zille Huma was about to address an open court at the Muslim League House in Satellite Town on Feb 20 when accused Muhammad Sarwer had opened fire on her. The minister had later died while being taken to a hospital in Lahore.

STRIKE: The district bar association on Monday continued the hunger strike to protest the thrashing of lawyers by police in Lahore and the suspension of the apex court chief justice.

The DBA in a meeting chaired by bar president Ilyas Rehan condemned the baton-charge on senior lawyers and expressed solidarity with them.

PPP MNA Imtiaz Safder Warraich and MPAs Chaudhry Zahid Pervaiz, Lala Shakilur Rehman, Lala Muhammad Idrees, Shabbir Mehr and former MPA Malik Mehdi Hassan and Mian Azher Hassan Dar visited the hunger camp.