KARACHI, June 18: Justice Syed Mehmood Alam Rizvi of the Sindh High Court on Wednesday granted bail to a murder accused against a surety of Rs500,000.

Applicant Ghazi Sarfaraz moved the SHC to seek bail in a murder case of deceased Mohammad Tahir. The case (270/2007) was lodged against him under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Surjani Town police station.

The case was lodged on the complaint of Zulfiqar, brother of the slain victim, who in his statement recorded under Section 154 of the criminal procedure code nominated the applicant as the alleged killer of his brother. Police picked up the applicant, who has been in their custody since his arrest.

In his plea for bail, the applicant submitted he was the sole guardian of his family and due to his confinement his family is suffering. He prayed to the court to grant him bail. The bench after hearing the matter allowed the application and granted bail to the applicant against the surety.

Hearing adjourned

An appellate bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justice Dr Rana Muhammad Shamim and Justice Ghulam Dastagir A. Shahani on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of an acquittal appeal of Anwarul Haq, convicted of killing an American diplomat, to a date in office.

The adjournment came on the request of the applicant’s counsel, Ilyas Khan.

Haq, an alleged activist of Al Qaeda, was awarded four times death punishment, 85 years imprisonment, Rs1.5 million fine (and three additional years in case of inability to pay the fine) by Special Anti-Terrorism Court No III on March 05, 2008. He was convicted of killing US diplomat David Foy on March 2, 2006 in Karachi.

ATC Judge Ahmed Nawaz Shaikh, convicting the appellant, acquitted co-accused Usman Ghani, giving him the benefit of the doubt due to a lack of evidence and declared Qari Zafar, alleged mastermind of the attack, as a wanted felon.

The appellant, through his counsel, Ilyas Khan, challenged the judgment of capital punishment and submitted

that witnesses had not identified him and their statements were contradictory. He alleged that witnesses and their evidence had been fabricated by police as none of the witnesses were present at the place of incident. He prayed to the court to set aside the death penalty against him.

DPO Summoned