August 30, 2008	Saturday	Sha'aban 27, 1429

RAWALPINDI, Aug 29: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) here on Friday put off hearing in the case about plans to carry out suicide attacks on former president Pervez Musharraf till September 10, and directed the SHO concerned to submit his comments in response to a petition filed by three accused who claimed that their statements were not being recorded.

ATC-II Judge Sakhi Mohammad Kahot put off the hearing in the case after Sadiqabad police said the 12 arrested suspects could not be produced in the court due to security concerns and they had written to the Punjab Home Department to seek permission of holding trial in Adiala jail.

The accused were arrested by the security agencies on June 1 from Sadiqabad and seized three vehicles packed with over 1,000kg explosives. A case was registered against the accused under sections 4, 5 of the Explosive Act, 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Pakistan Penal Code and section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act with Sadiqabad police station.

According to details, Rawalpindi police along with other security agencies cordoned off an area in Dhoke Kala Khan and carried out an early morning search on a tip off.

They seized three explosive-laden vehicles and arrested six men. Other arrests were made on the information obtained from the already arrested men.

The court directed the SHO Sadiqabad police to submit his reply in response to a petition filed by the three accused -- Mohammad Zameer, Mohammad Touqir and Mohammad Sajjad – in which they stated that the investigators had not been recording their statements and registering evidence being produced by them to prove their innocence.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Sardar Abdul Razzak, told Dawn that Touqir was a watchman at the residence of Justice (retired) Afzal Cheema in Nathiagali, Sajjad was an employee of Galliat Development Authority and Zameer was an intermediate level student at Government College for Boys Ayubia.

The petitioners claimed that they were arrested on the night of June 7 from two different localities of Rawalpindi city where they were attending marriage ceremonies of their relatives. However the police claimed they were arrested on June 14 for being a part of a gang planning to attack important personalities including former president Pervez Musharraf.

They maintained that they could produce dozens of eye-witnesses who saw them being arrested by the law enforcement agencies and prayed to the court that the SHO should be directed to record their statements and hear their witnesses.