KARACHI: An antiterrorism court remanded on Wednesday a suspect in police custody in two cases, including an attack on a rally of a nationalist party.

The police produced Amir Ali — who was among around 100 suspects picked up by the Rangers in an early morning raid on and around the Muttahida Qaumi Movement headquarters Nine Zero on March 11 — in court for remand.

The police informed the court that the suspect was already on physical remand in other cases pertaining to illicit weapon and explosive material till April 7 and claimed that during questioning he confessed to have attacked a Qaumi Awami Tehreek, then known as Awami Tehreek, rally in 2012 allegedly on the directive of the then chief of the MQM Karachi Tanzeemi committee Hammad Siddiqui.

Know more: Eleven killed in Karachi following firing on political rally

The police claimed that he also disclosed to them his involvement in the murder of Juma Baloch of the Lyari gang warfare within the jurisdiction of the Garden police station in May 2012 over setting up of barriers and sought the custody of the suspect in both cases for further interrogation.

The judge of the ATC-III, Saleem Raza Baloch, handed over the suspect to the police on physical remand till April 7.

According to the prosecution, the Awami Tehreek took out a “Love Sindh” Rally from Lyari on May 22, 2012 and marched towards the Karachi Press Club and as the procession was passing through the Napier Road it was attacked by gunmen, who shot dead six people, including a woman and, wounding nine others.

It may be recalled that the police also arrested Shamshad Ali and Mohammad Sharif, said to be political activists, in the rally attack case last year, but later released them under Section 497 (2) of the criminal procedure code for lacking evidence.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Kharadar police station.

PTI leader’s murder case

Another antiterrorism court remanded on Wednesday a suspect in prison in a case pertaining to the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Zahra Shahid. The senior PTI leader was gunned down inside her home in Defence Housing Authority in May 2013.

The suspect, Kaleem, worker of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, was arrested by Pakistan Rangers and the police took his custody on March 18 and got his physical remand from court the following day.

The police reproduced the suspect on Wednesday and the judge of the ATC-VIII, Imdad Ali Khoso, sent him to prison on judicial remand till April 14 and asked the investigating officer to submit an investigation report by next hearing.

Mohammad Rashid, alias Master, and Zahid Abbas Zaidi have already been arrested in the present case and four people were absconders while the name of recently arrested suspect was not among the absconders.

The MQM acknowledged that the man was its worker and said he had been picked up in February in Clifton and the high court was also petitioned in this regard.

Published in Dawn, April 2nd, 2015

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