KARACHI: Court reserves order in ASI’s murder case
By A Reporter
KARACHI, Oct 24: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday recorded the final arguments in the case of an assistant sub-inspector’s murder and reserved the order for pronouncement on Oct 27.
ASI Khalid Jamil was shot dead in Pak Colony police limits on Aug 28, 2006 during a demonstration held in protest against the killing of Jamhoori Watan Party chief Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti during a military action in Balochistan.
While referring to the testimony of police officials, defence counsel Ashfaq Rafiq Janjua and Abdul Samad Baloch argued that the police could not identify the person who had opened fire resulting in the ASI’s death.
They said it was a mob and the ASI had received a stray bullet fired by some unknown person. Nomination of their clients in the case was illegal, the counsel said and pleaded for their acquittal.
Special Public Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa had told the court that the accused were arrested on the basis of their participation in the protest demonstration, which meant that they were involved in the murder case.
Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon of ATC-II, who is conducting the trial, after hearing the arguments reserved his judgment in the case for Oct 27.
The court had earlier recorded the statements of several accused in the case. All the accused, including Badshah Jehan Langra, Anwar Taj, Mohammad Yaqoob Taj, Nabeel Baloch, Noorul Ameen, Farooq, Nasir and others pleaded not guilty. They were arrested under sections 147, 148, 149, 186, 353, 427 and 424 (Q&D) Pakistan Penal Code following the registration of an FIR (No 139/2006).
All the accused have been granted bail except Nasir.
According to the prosecution, a procession was taken out in limits of Pak Colony to condemn the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti and the protesters allegedly fired at police resulting in the death of ASI Khalid Jamil and injuries to Constable Ikram.
The court had recorded testimonies of four police officials, SI Sharif Niaz, ASI Aslam Javaid, Head Constable Gauhar Abbas and Constable Ikram on Oct 9.
Defence counsel Ashfaq Rafiq Janjua and Abdul Samad Baloch cross-examined the accused on Oct 10.
According to them, the police had neither produced any eyewitness nor recovered any kind of weapon from the accused. They said police had arrested the accused without any solid proof about their involvement in the murder case.
