KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Monday asked police to initiate proceedings of proclamation and attachment of property against absconders in a triple murder case.

Mohammad Minhaj Qazi alias Asad along with his accomplices has been booked in the murder of the then Karachi Electric Supply Company managing director Malik Shahid Hamid, his driver and guard in the Defence Housing Authority in 1997.

In an investigation report, police charge-sheeted Qazi as one of the alleged shooters. They added that he and Saulat Mirza along with their two accomplices had opened fire on the car of the KESC MD. The police also named MQM chief Altaf Hussain, the party convener Nadeem Nusrat, a London-based leader Sohail Zaidi and two workers, Rashid Akhtar and Athar Hussain, as absconders in the supplementary charge-sheet.

Subsequently, the court issued twice non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconders. However, police failed to execute the warrants.

Judge Mohammad Jawaid Alam of the ATC-V directed the investigating officer to initiate proceedings against the absconding accused under Sections 87 (proclamation for persons absconding) and 88 (attachment of property of person absconding) of the criminal procedure code and submit the report till July 28.

An ATC had already sentenced MQM worker Saulat Ali Khan, better known as Saulat Mirza, to death in 1999 in this case. He was executed in Machh jail in Balochistan on May 12, 2015.

Over 50 get bail

A judicial magistrate on Monday granted bail to more than 50 suspects in cases pertaining to the violation of ban on bathing in the sea, wheelie and use of tinted glasses in vehicles.

Police had arrested them in Clifton and Defence Housing Authority for defying the ban imposed under Section 144 (power to issue order absolute at once in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of criminal procedure code.

A judicial magistrate (south) granted them bail against a surety bond of Rs5,000 each.

Published in Dawn, July 12th, 2016