KARACHI, Jan 5: The plea for extension in police remand of two activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Masood Ahmed Siddiqui and Asif Iqbal, who were booked in a cop killing case, was turned down on Saturday by the Administrative Judge for the anti-terrorism courts at Karachi, Justice Shabbir Ahmed, and he ordered the release of the accused forthwith, if not required in any other case.

The court passed the order as the SHO Gulshan-i-Iqbal police station, inspector Khalid Khan, stated that till date no incriminating evidence against the accused had been found and police had not recovered crime weapon. He requested the court to grant him remand of seven more days for further investigation.

The court took serious note of this statement and directed the SHO to release the accused on PR bond of Rs50,000 each. The court also directed both the accused to cooperate with police in investigation.

On December 31, 2001 the AJ gave six days’ physical remand of both the accused to police which ended on Saturday. The court also released two more MQM activists, Syed Mohammed Ali Jaffar and Mohammed Amir Siddiqui, on a surety of Rs50,000 PR bonds each.

According to the prosecution, on December 28, 2001 four armed persons, two riding in a Suzuki Hi-Roof and two on motorcycle, sprayed bullets on two policemen who were in a police picket at Moti Mahal area and fled the scene. The two policemen suffered multiple bullet injuries. Head constable Swaleh Mohammed died on spot and head constable Ghulam Farid was injured. Later, Ghulam Farid lodged an FIR against unknown accused at Gulshan-i-Iqbal police station.

On December 29, 2001 police raided a sector office of the MQM in Gulshan-i- Iqbal and arrested four accused, Mohammed Ali Jaffer, Amir Siddiqui, Masood Siddiqui and Asif Iqbal.—PPI