KARACHI: The murder case of renowned qawwal Amjad Sabri along with two dozen other cases against two suspected militants of Lashkar-i-Jhangvi is being sent to military courts for trial, an antiterrorism court was informed on Thursday.

The LJ suspects, Ishaq alias Bobby and Mohammad Asim alias Ahmed alias Capri, were arrested by the Counter-Terrorism Department of police in November 2016 for their alleged involvement in around 25 cases pertaining to the targeted killing of Amjad Sabri, army personnel, the Rangers, police officials and members of the Shia community.

When one of the cases fixed before the ATC-VII judge inside the central prison came up for hearing on Thursday, investigating officer Inspector Mohsin Zaidi informed the court that the provincial authorities had sent all the cases pending against both the suspects to the federal government for scrutiny and final approval for trial in military courts. He said the cases were likely to be transferred soon after the approval of the competent authorities.

Two dozen cases of sectarian, targeted killings against two LJ militants being scrutinised for transfer

Qawwal Amjad Sabri was heading to a private TV channel to perform in a Ramazan-related programme in June last year when he was gunned down in Liaquatabad in a targeted attack on his car.

Both the LJ suspects have also been allegedly involved in the murder of two Military Police personnel near Tibet Centre on M.A. Jinnah Road in December 2015. Besides, they were booked for killing two army soldiers near Parking Plaza in Saddar in July last year and killing four Rangers’ personnel outside a mosque in Ittehad Town after Friday prayers in November 2015.

The suspected militants are also facing trial for allegedly killing five people, including two brothers, in October 2016 outside a house in Nazimabad where a Muharram majlis was being held for women.

They have also been booked for allegedly killing seven policemen in Orangi Town in April 2016, two traffic policemen near Ayesha Manzil in May 2016, murder of advocate Ameer Haider Shah near Civic Centre in August 2016, advocate Nadeem Waqar in April 2014 in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, head constable Syed Anwar Hussain Jaffri in Korangi in March 2014, police constable Mohammad Amir Ali in Mominabad in June 2016 and other cases of targeted and sectarian killings.

Two suspects remanded in police custody

The administrative judge of antiterrorism courts on Thursday remanded two suspects in police custody in a double murder case pertaining to the killing of Pak Sarzameen Party workers.

The Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, on Wednesday claimed to have arrested Mohammad Danish and Mohammad Raheem for allegedly killing PSP activist Nadeem Maulana and Rashid Lal Khan in Orangi Town on July 17 and said they were affiliated with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London.

Police produced the suspects before the administrative judge and the investigating officer sought their custody for questioning.

The administrative judge handed them over to police on physical remand till July 30 and directed the IO to produce them on the following day with a progress report. In the remand papers, Bilal, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Owais are shown as absconders.

The main 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 Orangi Town police station. Both the detained suspects were also booked in two connected cases of illicit weapons.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2017