September 10, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 09, 1429

RAWALPINDI, Sept 9: An anti-terrorism court here on Tuesday put off the hearing in the case of a suicide attack outside the army’s General Headquarters (GHQ) after the police submitted that the four accused could not be produced in the court because of security reasons and sought a jail trail.

ATC No. 2 Judge Sakhi Mohammad Kahot adjourned the hearing till September 15 after the investigators failed to submit the charge sheet against the suspected terrorists – Shafiqur Rehman, Mazharul Haq, Niaz Ahmed and Abdul Saboor – for their alleged involvement in an early morning suicide attack outside the GHQ gates on November 24.

The suicide bomber blew up his car after the guards tried to stop him.

Police submitted in the court that they had written to the provincial home department seeking permission for the jail trail.

The four men along with two others were arrested by the New Town police some two months ago with suicide vests and other explosives and were also found involved in a suicide attack on a bus carrying the personnel of a security agency last November.

Meanwhile, a police constable escaped arrest from outside the court of an additional district and sessions judge (ASJ) after his pre-arrest bail was rejected in a torture case.

ASJ Abdul Rehman Awan rejected the pre-arrest bail of Mohammad Sohail and ordered his arrest for his alleged role in a brawl between police and some men outside a local theatre and subsequent torture of a man by the policemen some five days ago.

The police constable was booked for attacking and torturing the common man.

Separately, additional district and sessions judge Mohammad Iqbal Malik convicted a man of possessing narcotics and handed down one-year rigorous imprisonment to him, besides imposing Rs10,000 fine.

In case of non-payment, the convict will have to undergo three-month extra jail term.

The Waris Khan police booked Waheed early this year for possessing 1,015 grams charas.