KARACHI, June 30: The District and Sessions Judge, South, Zaheer Ahmed S. Leghari, on Saturday adjourned the pronouncement of order till July 7 on the acquittal plea of the Leader of the Opposition in Sindh Assembly, Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, in the Ishwar Lal case.

The judge, who had earlier fixed June 30 for pronouncement of the order, put off the matter on an application filed by Murad Ali Shah, one of the five accused.

In his application, defence counsel Mohammad Ashraf Qazi stated that he also intended to submit an application for the acquittal of his client, Murad Ali Shah, before the next date.

The defence counsel of Nisar Khurho, Shahadat Awan, had previously argued that the case against his client was the worst example of political victimisation at the behest of the ruling party. He contended that no case against Mr Khuhro could be made with the material that had been put on record.

Arguing that the aim of implicating the opposition leader in the case was to keep him busy in courts and legal matters, the counsel said it was an attempt to tarnish his reputation and stop him from his struggle for democracy.

The defence counsel contended that no role or injury was alleged to his client and there was no evidence to connect him with the alleged offence.

He submitted that the trial of the accused was unnecessary harassment and abuse of the process of law and an exercise in futility.

“The case has been registered with ulterior motives of the ruling party. It is maliciously motivated to harass opponents,” he added. He argued that one of the accused had been acquitted under Section 265-K of the CrPC and the case of his client was on the better footings, as the FIR was false and concocted.

It was argued that the police had no jurisdiction to entertain the report of the complainant as the speaker of the assembly had already taken notice of it and announced his ruling to that effect. “In such circumstances, the inquiry or investigation by police is a violation of the constitution, and also amounts to contempt,” he added.Mr Awan had argued that the FIR had been lodged in violation of the provisions as contained in the Provincial Assembly Privileges Act, 1972, after deliberations and with an unexplained delay of six days.

Rehman’s associate remanded