KARACHI: Police officials testify in ASI’s murder case
By A Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 10: The defence counsel on Wednesday cross-examined police officials, who are serving as prosecution witnesses, in the murder case of an assistant sub-inspector, Khalid Jamil, who was shot during a demonstration against the killing of Nawab Akber Khan Bugti in the Pak Colony police limits on Aug 28, 2006.
Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon of Anti-Terrorism Court-II fixed Oct 11 for recording the depositions of the rest of the prosecution witnesses.
Defence counsel Ashfaq Rafiq Janjua argued that the prosecution had failed to nominate exactly which of the accused had opened fire at the police.
Referring to the testimony of the police officials he said it was not clear who had fired upon the victim, adding that it was a mob and the ASI was hit by a stray bullet fired by an unidentified person.
He argued that the case was baseless and no particular person or persons could be blamed for it.
The court had recorded the testimony of four police officials: SI Sharif Niaz, ASI Aslam Javaid, head constable Gauhar Abbas and constable Ikram.
They said they were on duty when about 300 people staged a procession in Pak Colony in protest against the killing of Nawab Akber Khan Bugti.
Some of the protestors opened fire on the police, killing ASI Khalid Jamil and wounding constable Ikram.
The police later registered a case (FIR No 139/06) against the protestors under Sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 427 and 424 (Q&D) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Badshah Jehan Langra, Anwar (son of Taj), Mohammad Yaqoob (son of Taj), Nabeel Baloch, Noorul Ameen and Farooq were nominated in the case.
The court adjourned the hearing for Thursday when other prosecution witnesses would testify.
Sectarian murder
Judicial Magistrate-XI, South, Abdul Qadir Buriro testified in an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday in the murder case of Shia leader Syed Asghar Ali, son of Syed Mohammed Haider Zaidi, who was shot in the limits of the Baghdadi police station on May 7, 2002.
Judge Ghulam Ali Samtio of ATC-1, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison, recorded the statement of the judicial magistrate.
He identified the accused, Syed Mohammad Tehseen alias Rashid Sufi (son of Syed Mohammad Naseeruddin) and Mohammad Anwar alias Usman Baloch (son of Ghulam Qadir) and said that they were the accused who were identified in an identification parade in his court.
According to the prosecution the victim was sitting in his tailoring shop in Baghdadi when the accused had shot him at 9pm on May 7, 2002 and fled.
They were arrested in the Madinatul Hikmat mosque bomb blast case and were in the Central Jail in connection with that case when the police took them into custody on March 8, 2006.
They were charged by the police at Baghdadi police station in the case (FIR No 125/02) under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with 7-A, ATA, 1997.
The crime was committed reportedly on the basis of sectarianism.
The court had indicted the accused on Jan 16, 2007, but they had pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case. Five prosecution witnesses have so far testified in the case.
The judge fixed Oct 20 as the next date of the hearing and asked Special Public Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa to produce other witnesses in the case.
