KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has provided to the defence counsel a copy of the CD containing video footage of the shoot-out during an armed robbery in which 10-year-old girl Amal Umer was allegedly killed.

A detained accused, Khalid, has been charged under relevant sections of the law.

The accused had moved an application under Section 265-C of the CrPC through his counsel, seeking a direction to the investigating officer of the case to provide a copy of the purported video footage of the alleged armed robbery and firing by the accused that claimed the girl’s life.

The antiterrorism court-VIII judge, who took up the matter on Wednesday in the judicial complex inside the central prison, allowed the application and directed the IO to provide a copy of the CD to the defence counsel. The matter was fixed on Jan 8.

Amal Umer, who was travelling along with her parents in their car, died after she was hit by a bullet fired by a policeman in a Defence locality on Aug 13 during the alleged shoot-out.

According to the prosecution, the police had arrested Khalid on Sept 24 in some other cases pertaining to robbery and illicit weapons and claimed that during questioning the suspect disclosed his involvement in the murder of the girl and also robbing her parents and others.

Earlier, the case took an interesting turn, as the prosecution pointed out defects in the investigation and loopholes in charge sheets submitted by the investigating officer to the administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts.

Investigating officer Imdad Ali Khawaja had submitted a charge sheet against accused Khalid before the ATCs’ administrative judge but it was silent about the police party, which had taken part in the alleged shoot-out.

The IO had named Khalid as an accused in the charge sheet and said his alleged accomplice Shahzad had already been killed.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2018