KARACHI, June 28: An anti-terrorism court put off on Tuesday the hearing of the murder case of six employees of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organisation (SUPARCO) against a worker of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi after the statement of the accused.

Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison, fixed July 2 for hearing final arguments from special public prosecutor Maula Bux Bhatti and defence counsel M. R. Syed after the deposition by Shahnawaz alias Shani.

Six employees of the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Organisation were killed and several others injured when their official van was fired upon on October 3, 2003, on the Hub River Road within the limits of the Maripur police.

The accused denied the charges against him and stated that the police had shown him to the prosecution witnesses before they identified him during an identification parade before the judicial magistrate.

The prosecution has examined in all 26 prosecution witnesses in the case.

ACQUITTED: The judicial magistrate, East, Ms Shazia Asif, acquitted a worker of the Mohajir Qaumi Movement (Haqiqi) in a case pertaining to the possession of illegal weapon.