July 27, 2008	Sunday	Rajab 23, 1429

KARACHI, July 26: The hearing of the Nishtar Park blast case has been pending in an anti-terrorism court for more than one year for want of permission from the authorities concerned to conduct the proceedings inside the central prison, it has been reliably learnt.

Sources said no proceedings were held during the last one year in the case pending in ATC-V since the home department had so far not notified to the court to conduct the case hearing inside the central prison despite requests made by the jail superintendent and the trial court.

The judge, they said, had directed the jail authorities to produce the accused in court about a year ago. However, the jail superintendent through a letter (No 10710), dated July 27, 2007, informed the court that the accused were high-profile criminals, also wanted in many other cases, and could not be produced in court due to security reasons. Instead he requested the court to hold the trial inside the central prison. The jail authorities in the letter stated that a request was already made to the home department for grant of permission to the trial court in order to conduct the hearing inside the prison.

However, the sources added, the court was still awaiting a notification of the home department in this regard and as such no further proceeding in the Nishtar Park blast case could be conducted.

The bomb explosion left more than 50 people dead, including the top leadership of Sunni Tehrik, and 100 others injured during an Eid Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) congregation being held in Nishtar Park on April 11, 2006.

An FIR (71/2006) of the case was registered at Soldier Bazaar police station under Sections 302, 324, 109, 120-B, 114/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 3/4 of the Explosive Act read with Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act.

Police arrested Sultan alias Mahmood, Rahmatuallh and Mufti Zakir Hussain Siddiqui for their alleged involvement in the case and the court had sent them in jail custody while Mohammad Amin, Amanullah, Mohammad Khalid, Qari Abid and Mohamm-ad Sadiq were declared absconders in the case. Advocate Mushatq Ahmed is representing the accused. There are about 116 prosecution witnesses in the case. A charge-sheet in the case was submitted in July 2007.

The case hearing has now been put off till Aug 26 since the authorities concerned did not authorise the ATC to conduct hearing inside the central prison.

UTPs remanded

The judicial magistrates, south, Aurangzeb Alamgir Qazi and Abdul Qadir, on Saturday remanded four under trial prisoners in police custody till July 28.

UTPs Abdul Sattar alias Payra, Abdul Samad, Bilal, Sajid and Zain Wahab attempted to escape from the City Court premises where they were brought for a hearing on Friday.

Four of them were apprehended by the police after a shootout, while Zain Wahab managed to escape. A teenager was killed in crossfire between the police and the UTPs. Police recovered a hand-grenade, pistols and bullets from the lunch boxes of the UTPs lying in the sessions courts building, south.

Three cases (68/08, 69/08 and 70/08) were registered by the City Courts police while the fourth by the Mithadar police under Sections 109, 114, 120, 224, 225, 302, 120-B/34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Section 13-E of the Arms Ordinance and Section 3/2 of the Explosive Act against the UTPs. Abdul Samad, who sustained injuries in crossfire, was under medical treatment at Civil Hospital.