KARACHI: The police submitted on Friday an interim charge-sheet in an anti-terrorism court in a case pertaining to the murder of Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Zahra Shahid.

Mohammad Rashid, alias Master, and Zahid Abbas Zaidi along with their absconding accomplices have been booked for allegedly killing the senior leader of the PTI on May 18 last year inside her home in Defence Housing Authority.

The investigating officer submitted the interim investigation report in which he charge-sheeted the two suspects and showed Junaid Bukhari, Tariq Nawab and Asif, alias Ganja, in the column of absconders. Around 10 prosecution witnesses, including a driver of the slain leader, who had rightly picked out both suspects during an identification parade before a magistrate, were placed in the charge sheet.

After accepting the interim report, ATC-III judge Saleem Raza Baloch asked the IO to submit the final charge-sheet as soon as possible. The court issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconders.

The police arrested Rashid in an illicit weapons case on Sept 25 and said that during interrogation he disclosed his involvement in the present case while the other suspect was arrested on Oct 2. Later, they were sent to prison.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Gizri police station.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2014