July 03, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 28, 1429

KARACHI, July 2: The additional district and sessions judge-VI, East, Abdul Razaq on Wednesday dismissed the bail application of the Muhajir Qaumi Movement chief Afaq Ahmed in a kidnapping and murder case.

Afaq Ahmed, Amir Khan and their associates were charged for kidnapping Mohammed Farooq, Mohammad Tahir, Salman and M. Anwar, workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, in the limits of Landhi police station on June 19, 1992, and later, they allegedly killed Mohammad Farooq.

The court directed Afaq’s counsel to move a fresh bail application after the depositions of some prosecution witnesses.

Earlier, Afaq Ahmed, through his counsel Sohail Anjum, moved a bail application to the court and argued that his client was falsely implicated in the case, which was registered on political grounds.

However, the special prosecutor opposed the plea and argued that bail could not be granted until four witnesses testified in a case.The police registered a case (FIR No102/92) under Sections 147, 148, 149, 324, 364, 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of Ismail Qureshi. The hearing was being held inside the Central Prison.

Justice Nizam murder case

The district and sessions judge, Central, Soofia Latif, on Wednesday adjourned till Thursday the hearing of the Justice Nizam murder case.

Earlier, one of the accused — Bilal Shaikh — through his counsel had filed an acquittal application under Section 249-A of the CrPC in the court. The court would record arguments from both sides on the acquittal plea on Thursday.

According to the prosecution, Asif Ali Zardari, Akhtar Javed Pirzada, Bilal Shaikh and Babar Sindhu are facing charges of the double murder. Justice Nizam Ahmed of the Sindh High Court and his son Nadeem Ahmed, a lawyer, were shot dead in an attack on June 10, 1996 in front of their PECHS residence.

The complainant, Group Captain (retd) Sikandar, brother-in-law of Justice Nizam Ahmed, had lodged an FIR (357/96) at the Ferozabad police station under Section 302/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The killings were attributed to a dispute over a prized plot near Awami Markaz as Justice Nizam had opposed its commercialization and illegal allotment. The high court has already acquitted Mr Zardari in the case.