November 02, 2008	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 3, 1429

KARACHI, Nov 1: A district and sessions judge on Saturday recorded arguments from both sides on acquittal applications moved by two accused in the Justice Nizam murder case and reserved the order for Nov 7.

Justice Nizam Ahmed of the Sindh High Court and his son Nadeem Ahmed, a lawyer, were shot dead on June 10, 1996 outside their PECHS residence.

Akhtar Javed Pirzada, Bilal Shaikh and Babar Sindhu have been charged with double murder in the case.

Bilal Shaikh and Babar Sindhu, through their counsel, moved applications to the court of district and sessions judge (central) under Section 249-A of the Criminal Procedure Code arguing that the prosecution has failed to produce any solid evidence against them during the last 12 years and pleaded for their acquittal.

The special public prosecutor, Naimat Ali Randhawa, did not oppose the pleas saying that the prosecution had no sufficient evidence against the applicants to connect them with the case.

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 plot near Awami Markaz as Justice Nizam had opposed its commercialisation and alleged illegal allotment. The Sindh High Court has already acquitted President Asif Ali Zardari in the case.

Murtaza murder case

An additional district and sessions judge (east) on Saturday adjourned the hearing of the Mir Murtaza Bhutto murder case till Nov 8.

The court deferred the order on an acquittal plea moved by a co-accused, Shakeeb Qureshi, till the next hearing.

The case pertains to the murder of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, his close aide Ashique Hussain Jatoi and six other party workers and supporters of the PPP (Shaheed Bhutto) on Sept 20, 1996, near his residence in Clifton in an alleged shootout with police.

Shoaib Suddle, Wajid Durrani, Masood Sharif, Shahid Hayat, Rai Mohammed Tahir, Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani, Shakeeb Qureshi, Agha Mohammed Jameel and other policemen are the accused in the case.

PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was also nominated in the case. However, the Sindh High Court on April 9, 2008 accepted a revision plea of Mr Zardari and acquitted him in the murder case.