GUJRANWALA, Jan 25: The anti-terrorism court-I on Friday recorded the testimony of two civil judges in Sialkot jail shootout case and adjourned the hearing till Feb 2.

Five prisoners took hostage a judges’ team headed by the district and sessions judge when they were on a routine jail inspection in July 2003. The police stormed the jail to liberate these judges and some woman prisoners also taken hostage and the five prisoners and four civil judges were killed in the ensuing shootout. The complainant alleged that the police launched an ill-planned operation without taking precautionary measures.

Civil Judges Rai Naeem Kharal and Sabtain Kazmi testified in the presence of main accused Zulfikar Ali Virk, who is a former police inspector.

Complainant Chaudhry Muhammad Yousaf Aaujla, the then Sialkot senior civil judge, and his counsel Asif Cheema asked the court that two sub-inspectors, who were accompanying Virk during the operation, be also summoned as witnesses.

The court accepted their plea and issued notice to those two police officers.