February 25, 2008	Monday	Safar 17, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 24: The judicial magistrate, East, Asim Saeed Khan Lodhi, on Saturday extended the remand of the suspected arrested on the eve of Feb 18 elections till March 12.

According to the prosecution, Asif Iqbal alias K. Area Wala, Mohammad Jan alias Mustafa, Yasir Afaq alias Nasir alias Saad, Abdul Wahid alias Zubair, Ziaul Abideen alias Zain, Mohammad Asif, Inyatullah Khan alias Tauseef, Mohammad Arshad alias Asad, Mohammad Zeeshan alias Shani alias Mustan Baloch and Mohammad Ahmed alias Waseem were stated to be associated with the Tehrik-i-Islami and Lashkar-i-Muhammadi, the banned militant outfits, and were planning to carry out massive attacks on political and religious leaders in the city on election day. The police also seized hand-grenades, TT pistols, detonators, bombs, bullets, petroleum jelly and other explosive substances from them.

Earlier, the suspects were remanded in police custody.

A number of cases, including murder, attempt to murder, having illegal weapons and explosives material had been registered against them.

Meanwhile, the civil judge and judicial magistrate, West, Ghulam Yaseen Kolachi, on Saturday sent six Indian fishermen in judicial custody on remand till March 8.

According to the prosecution, the Maritime Security Agency detained the Indian fishermen with their fishing boat on Feb 22 for fishing illegally inside the exclusive economic zone of Pakistan.

An FIR (29/08) was registered against the fishermen under Sections 3/4 and 3/9 of the Fishery Act at the Docks police station. The fishermen were identified as Santosh, Raju, Kaloo, Rakesh, Charan and Chhota Lal.

Afaq’s trial

The additional district and sessions judge (Malir), Romana Siddiqui, on Saturday adjourned the hearing of a murder case against the Mohajir Qaumi Movement chief due to the lawyers’ strike.

On Nov 17, MQM-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed, through his counsel Suhail Anjum, submitted an application under Section 265-K of the CrPC to the court, pleading for the acquittal in a ‘fake’ murder case.

According to the prosecution, on July 30, 2002, Zubair Ali, son of Mashooq Ali, and his mother Rafiqun Nisa were coming to their home in Nazimabad in a taxicab, when three to four unknown persons allegedly opened fire on the taxi, wounding his mother and the taxi driver, Kafiluddin.

The complainant took his mother to Al-Mustafa Trust hospital and Kafiluddin was rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, where he died.

Police registered an FIR (144/02) under Sections 302, 324, 109/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Malir City police station against the MQM-H chief and others, stating that the firing was carried out at Afaq Ahmed’s behest. The judge was conducting the trial in the central jail.

Mr Ahmed’s defence counsel, Suhail Anjum, told Dawn that he had submitted an application for the acquittal of his client some three months back but he said it had not been taken up for hearing. He alleged that his client was being politically victimized by his opponents and they wanted to keep him behind bars.