KARACHI, Oct 31: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday recorded the final arguments in the kidnapping for ransom and murder case of two boys and Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon of ATC-II, who is conducting the trial, reserved his judgment for Thursday, Nov 1.
According to the prosecution, seven-year-old Sajid, son of Ilyas Masih, and nine-year-old Ubaid, son of Riaz Masih, were kidnapped in Christian Para, Nai Abadi, in the Korangi police limits on May 21 of this year.
Defence counsel Ashfaq Rafiq Janjua told the court that it was a false case against his client and claimed that Asif Masih was not involved in the case.
Special Public Prosecutor Niamat Ali Randhawa argued that the depositions of Ashiq Masih and Samuel Masih had proved the involvement of the accused in the case.
He said that both the witnesses were independent and had no enmity with Asif Masih and had witnessed the accused accompanying the boys on May 21.
Mr Randhawa said the accused had also confessed to the crime in the court of a judicial magistrate, adding that he (Asif) had recorded the statement without being forced.
Mr Randhawa said that the accused had committed the crime and pleaded that he deserved capital punishment.
A former judicial magistrate, east, Ghanwar Khan Gadhi had on Oct 29 recorded his statement in the case.
The magistrate had identified the accused, Asif Masih, and said that he had recorded his confessional statement before him on June 18, 2007, when he was left in a room to record his statement without any fear or pressure.
The court had record the statement of the accused on Oct 30, who again pleaded not guilty, saying that he was innocent and was falsely implicated in the case.
The defence counsel submitted to the court that the magistrate had written his statement in English, which was against the relevant rules.
He said the statement should have been made in Urdu or the mother tongue of the accused so that the latter could understand the contents.
Investigation officer of the case, Mohammad Babar of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) also recorded his statement, and said that he had not seen the dead bodies as they had been sent to the Edhi Centre morgue on May 31.
