KARACHI: The administrative judge of antiterrorism courts remanded on Wednesday a suspect in police custody in a case pertaining to the murder of renowned social activist Perween Rahman.

The police contended that Mohammad Amjad Hussain Khan was arrested on Oct 24 in Manghopir and they found a hand grenade and an unlicensed pistol in his custody.

The investigating officer produced the suspect before the court and submitted that the suspect was one of the absconders in Ms Rahman’s murder case and sought his custody for questioning as well as to arrest the other absconders.

The IO further submitted that the Supreme Court had directed the police on Oct 10 to arrest the absconders and now the matter is fixed before the apex court on Nov 15.

According to the remand papers, two suspects in the case, Qari Bilal and Mehfoozullah, have already been killed.

The administrative judge handed over the suspect to police on physical remand till Oct 27 and directed the IO to produce him again at next hearing along with a progress report.

The murder case is pending trial before an ATC against detained accused Ahmed Khan alias Ahmed Ali alias Pappu Kashmiri, Mohammad Imran Swati and Mohammad Raheem Swati, while Ayaz Swati, Amjad Afridi, Moosa and Shaldar Khan had been shown as absconders in the last charge-sheet.

The charge-sheet said Imran had disclosed that Rahim of banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan along with his brother-in-law Shaldar and others carried out the killing.

It contended that Imran also confessed that he was associated with Awami National Party in 2010 and was part of the meeting in which the murder was planned.

According to the prosecution, Ms Rahman, director of the Orangi Pilot Project, was gunned down on Manghopir Road in March 2013.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Pirabad police station.

Later Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 was incorporated in the case on a directive of the Supreme Court that also had ordered a judicial inquiry into the case by the judge of a district and sessions court.

The judicial inquiry report, placed before the apex court in 2014, recommended that the murder be reinvestigated by an efficient, independent and honest police officer. It expressed dissatisfaction over the probe stating that the police investigators had not hesitated to manipulate key aspects of the investigation.

Qari Bilal, the man blamed for Ms Rahman’s murder, was allegedly killed in a shoot-out with police a day after the killing of the OPP head.

However, the inquiry report said the story of the mysterious encounter and recovery of a pistol did not inspire confidence.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2017