KARACHI: An antiterrorism court heard on Saturday arguments on an application of Rangers seeking action against the investigating officer over alleged misappropriation of evidence in a case pertaining to treatment of suspected terrorists.

Former petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain has been booked for allegedly treating and harbouring terrorists and gangsters at the North Nazimabad and Clifton branches of his hospital at the behest of some Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Peoples Party leaders.

The paramilitary force is the complainant in the case and on a previous hearing its law officer moved an application against the IO and the official in charge of the city courts malkhana for allegedly tampering with and misappropriating the evidence.

The Rangers lawyer argued that they had provided a number of documentary evidence, including bills of 27 alleged terrorists and proclaimed offenders about their treatment at the Ziauddin Hospital, during investigations to the first IO, Rao Zulfiqar.

However, he contended that the bills of nine suspected criminals/ political workers were found missing and alleged that present IO DSP Altaf Hussain and the incharge of the city courts malkhana have stolen the documents.

The counsel maintained that they had also moved the administrative judge of the ATCs against the IO for conducting investigations, adding that his appointment was made just to save Dr Asim.

He requested the court to initiate legal proceedings against the IO for defective investigation and to order a case against him and the malkhana incharge for tampering with and misappropriating the evidence.

While rejecting the allegations, the IO argued that all the papers were available in the case file, adding that the previous IO had provided him 308 pages while 398 pages of documentary evidence were part of the prosecution papers.

He said the Rangers law officer was damaging the case and contended that the previous IO was removed for being incompetent. Further arguments on the application would continue on Monday.

Meanwhile, the court extended the interim pre-arrest bails of MQM leaders Waseem Akhtar and Rauf Siddiqui, PPP’s Qadir Patel and Anis Qaimkhani of the Pak Sarzameen Party till May 12 and reissued warrant for the arrest of absconding MQM leader Saleem Shahzad. A notice on the bail application of detained Pasban leader Usman Moazzam was issued to the prosecution till next hearing.

TV host granted bail

A judicial magistrate granted on Saturday bail to the host of a TV programme in a case pertaining to trespassing on the Sindh Assembly building.

Iqrar-ul-Hasan and his team member Kamran Farooqui have been booked for sneaking into the assembly building with a pistol while the house was in session on Friday.

Later, the TV channel claimed that it was a ‘sting operation’ to expose the inadequate security protocol at the assembly.

The police produced both men before a judicial magistrate (south) and the court granted them bail against a surety bond of Rs50,000 each in the trespassing case. However, the court handed over Kamran to the police on three-day physical remand in a connected case of an illicit weapon.

The main case was registered under Sections 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Arambagh police station.

Kamran was also separately booked under Section 23(1) A of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2016