KARACHI, April 30: Sindh High Court Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed transferred on Monday a suicide bombing case claiming the life of a US diplomat here in March 2006 from one anti-terrorism court to another.

US diplomat David Foy was killed as an explosives-laden vehicle rammed the car he was traveling in on March 2, 2006. The car was hit immediately as it came out of the US consulate gate. Three Pakistanis were also killed and 48 people were wounded in the attack. Mohammad Tahir was later identified as the attacker. Osman Ghani and Anwarul Haq were accused of plotting and helping Tahir and are facing trial on charges of criminal conspiracy.

The case is being tried by Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of Anti-Terrorism Court V, who denied the allegations of partiality levelled by the accused applicants’ counsel.

Defence counsel M. Ilyas Khan submitted on behalf of accused applicants Osman Ghani and Anwarul Haq that they had been presumed to be Al Qaeda operatives by US officials. US consulate officials, including a woman, visit the court on every hearing and sit with the trial judge in his chamber for hours. This has created apprehension in the minds of the accused that they would not get a fair and impartial trial from Mr Haq Nawaz Baloch.

The judge categorically denied the allegations, saying that nobody from either side visited him in his chamber. The allegations were baseless and the trial was being conducted fairly and impartially and in accordance with the provisions of the Anti-Terrorist Act, he said in his comments.

Allowing the application, the CJ transferred the case to anti-terrorism court III.

PLEA REJECTED: Meanwhile, another SHC division on Monday dismissed an appeal challenging the conviction awarded to an appellant by an anti-narcotics court.