October 25, 2008	Saturday	Shawwal 25, 1429

PESHAWAR, Oct 24: An anti-terrorism court here on Friday indicted an accused for the last year’s suicide bombing targeting the then interior minister, Aftab Ahmad Sherpao, in Charsadda.The accused, Qari Muhammad Saeed, pleaded not guilty to the charge and decided to stand trial. The court presided over by Mr Shamsher Ali Khan summoned all the prosecution witnesses and fixed Nov 4 for next hearing.

The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan’s Chief Baitullah Mehsud and two other accused Shahjehan and Zubair Swathi have already been declared proclaimed offenders in the case by the court during last hearing.

The said three accused did not turn up before the court despite repeated notices following which their arrest warrants were issued and then declared POs.

Around 32 persons were killed and 50 other injured in the bombing which took place on April 28, 2007, at Station Korona. The suicide bomber blew himself up after a public meeting when Mr Sherpao was heading towards his vehicle. Mr Sherpao and his son, Sikander Sherpao, had survived the attack.

The accused Qari Muhammad Saeed, a resident of Muslimabad in Station Korona, was arrested by security agencies from a mosque on charges of being part of the conspiracy. Later on, the agencies claimed that the suicide bombing was carried out on the order of Baitullah Mehsud and the two other accused, Shahjehan and Zubair Swathi, had also connived in the conspiracy.

Qari Saeed was arrested in May 2007. Initially, he was suspected of being involved in destroying a CD centre in Charsadda. Later on, he was also charged in the suicide bombing case. —Bureau Report