KARACHI: Mufti Ateeq case hearing adjourned till 24th
By A Reporter
KARACHI, Sept 22: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday adjourned the murder case of Mufti Ateeq-ur-Rehman and his brother Irshad, who were killed in the limits of Preedy police station on June 23, 2005.
Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of ATC-V, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison, fixed Sept 24 as the next date, since a judicial magistrate scheduled to record her deposition as prosecution witness could not reach the court in time.
Special Public Prosecutor Mohammad Mazhar Qayyum told the court that Judicial Magistrate Sara Junejo, who is currently posted at Larkana, was scheduled to appear but could not reach the court.
The accused -- Hammad Raza Naqvi -- was identified in an identification parade in the court of the JM.
The court had indicted the accused on Sept 12, but he had pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.
An FIR (No 315/05) had been registered at the Preedy police station under Sections 302, 324 and 427/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code against Hammad Raza and absconding co-accused Syed Mohammad Askari.
The court recorded the statement of a prosecution witness, Sultan, who is a relative of the late Irshad.
Mr Sultan gave the court the details of how he received the information of the tragedy and the dead body of the victim.
Another witness who recorded his statement was the medico-legal officer (MLO), Dr Jagdeesh, of the Civil Hospital Karachi. The MLO had conducted the autopsy of Mufti Ateeq’s body.
The doctor said that he was on duty when the victims were brought to hospital. Irshad was shifted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and the son of Mufti Ateeq, Amaar, 10, was also injured.
He confirmed that both persons had died due to bullet wounds.
The court had earlier recorded the depositions of three police officials -- ASIs Raja Masood Ahmed, Nadeem Haider and Shabbir Ahmed -- against Hammad Raza Naqvi and Syed Mohammad Askari on Sept 15.
Kidnap case
An anti-terrorism court on Saturday recorded the depositions of two prosecution witnesses in the kidnapping for ransom case of a woman, Miss Shahida, and her two-and-a-half year old nephew Zahid.
They were abducted in the limits of the Khwaja Ajmer Nagri police station on June 20, 2007, allegedly by the accused Maqbool Ahmed and Ghulam Qasim.
Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon of ATC-V, who is conducting the trial, fixed Sept 24 for recording the statements of the rest of the witnesses in the case.
Abdul Qadir, father of Zahid, and Mohammad Luqman, brother of Abdul Qadir, in their statements narrated the story of the kidnapping and their efforts to recover the victims.
They identified the accused in police custody and confirmed that their sister and the child were recovered from their possession.
On Sept 15 the court had recorded the statement of a witness, Ms Shazia, who was arrested and interrogated. She was, however, later released.
Two accused in the case, Maqbool Ahmed and Ghulam Qasim, are currently in judicial custody and have been charged with kidnapping Miss Shahida and demanding a ransom of Rs800,000 for her release.
The witness, Ms Shazia, told the court that she worked with Miss Shahida in the same factory and was arrested on the complaint of the victim’s relatives, who had accused her of being involved in the crime. However, she added, she was released after police interrogated her.
