November 23, 2007	Friday	Ziqa’ad 12, 1428

RAWALPINDI, Nov 22: No headway could be made in any terrorism case except for adjournments mainly due to absence of defence counsel or delay on the part of the police, here on Thursday.

Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 Judge Habibur Rehman put off hearing in as many as 20 cases against the former chief cleric of the Lal Masjid till December 6 because the lawyer representing him could not come to court since he is being detained at the Bahawalpur Jail.

The cleric is charged with murder of a ranger, kidnapping of policemen and Chinese masseurs, terrorism and disturbing the law and order in the capital. He and his family members were present in court.

The judge also deferred till December 5 the case of four men suspected for their alleged involvement in two fatal suicide attacks in Islamabad in a single month.

The attacks were carried out on July 17 at the district courts and at the Aabpara Market on July 27, killing over 30 people. Two brothers, Faisal Mushtaq and Qasim Mushtaq, and two others, Imdadullah and Fasihullah, were arrested by the police from Bhara Kahu area in August, with explosive jackets and other illegal weapons.

Similarly the hearing in the case of a woman allegedly involved suicide attacks on President Gen Pervez Musharraf was deferred till December 8.

The accused, Shazia Mubashir, was granted bail by the court in September in the case of double suicide attacks on the president on Dec 25, 2003. The government has moved the high court for the cancellation of her bail.

The judge, in the meantime, granted bail to Hammad Abbasi in the case of defaming a Supreme Court judge for taking oath under the PCO, against surety bonds worth Rs50,000.

He was arrested from Murree last Friday when he was writing on walls, calling the action Justice Nawaz Abbasi a disgrace to the people of Murree. He was charged with terrorism, defamation, printing or engraving matter knowing it to be defamatory, negligent conduct with respect to pulling down or damaging buildings and creating a law and order situation.

Hearing in Nawaz corruption cases: An accountability court once again adjourned the hearing in corruption references against Mian Nawaz Sharif and his family, here on Thursday, after the prosecution lawyer sought deferral, saying due to the prevalent circumstances in the country the situation was not clear.

Acceding to the submission of the deputy prosecutor general (DPG) of National Accountability Bureau (Nab), Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, the judge of the Accountability Court No 4, Khalid Mehmood, adjourned the hearing in three cases — Hudabia Paper Mills, Ittefaq Foundry and Raiwind Assets — for 14 days till December 5. The DPG presented some newspaper cuttings in court showing that the former prime minister planned to return to the country.

He requested the court that it would be better to defer the hearing in view of the present state of emergency and the expected arrival of the main accused.

The prosecution lawyers have been trying to establish in the court that Mr Sharif intended to return and the cases should, therefore, remain open. Previously, the judge had observed that he would once again adjourn the cases sine die (indefinitely) if no progress was made in them.

The cases were re-opened on the plea of NAB, in August 2007, after the Supreme Court observed that Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif could return to their country unhindered.

The accountability court, despite repeated requests by NAB, refused to issue arrest warrants for the accused. The judge has been saying that he could not issue arrest warrants till the accused returned to the country, as per the decision of the Supreme Court.