KARACHI: A sessions court recorded on Saturday the statement of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Malir Rao Anwar in two cases registered in the 1990s against former Muttahida Qaumi Move­ment leader Saleem Shahzad and others.

Syed Saleem-ul-Haq, better known as Saleem Shahzad, has been charged in the cases pertaining to murder and kidnapping of two workers of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement and rioting registered at the Landhi police station in July 1992.

The SSP deposed that at the time he was posted as SHO and there was a dispute over possession of a piece of land adjacent to the police station between two factions of the MQM, adding that during a clash, five workers of the Afaq-led faction were abducted by the rival group.

He further testified that later two accused, Zaki and Khalid, were arrested and they disclosed that two of the captives were killed on the directive of Javed Langra. They also confessed that the house of Afaq Ahmed was also attacked during the incident.

However, the police officer did not name Saleem Shahzad as one of the accused during his testimony.

An additional district and sessions judge (East) adjourned the hearing till Dec 19 for evidence of other witnesses.

The former MQM leader was arrested at the Karachi airport where he arrived from Dubai in February in a case pertaining to providing shelter and treatment to alleged terrorists.

However, the court granted him bail, but police had also shown him arrested in some other cases registered in 1992 at the Malir and Landhi police stations. Later, he also obtained bail in these cases.

Remand extended in Seaview murder case

A judicial magistrate granted on Saturday a two-day extension in physical remand of a key suspect in a case pertaining to the murder of a college student near the Seaview beach.

After the end of his remand, the investigating officer again produced Khawar Hussain Burney before the magistrate and sought his custody for questioning and arrest of absconders.

The magistrate extended the physical remand till Dec 11 with direction to the IO to produce him again along with a progress report at the next hearing.

The magistrate had already remanded three brothers Haider Hussain Burney, Hasan Hussain Burney and Hasnain Hussain Burney, said to be juveniles, and another suspect Abdul Rehman to prison in the present case while Raza Hussain Burney and his brother Haris Hussain Burney, Danish, Hammad, Noman, Umar Pirwani and a woman, Mehak, are still at large.

Meanwhile, a sessions court issued notices to prosecution and others till Dec 11 on an application of an IO challenging an order of a magistrate for sending four suspects to prison.

Police said that the suspects had allegedly gunned down 18-year-old college student Zafir Ahmed Zuberi and caused injuries to his friend Zaid on Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue near Seaview after the victims travelling in a Mercedes had hit a motorcyclist who was involved in bike racing at the beach when the motorcyclist’s friends travelling in a Vigo chased and opened indiscriminate fire on them.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2017