An antiterrorism court on Wednesday dismissed bail applications of 13 former police officials in the cases pertaining to the alleged kidnapping for ransom and killing of an aspiring Waziristan model, Naqeebullah Mehsud, and three others in a ‘staged’ encounter on January 13 last year in Karachi's Shah Latif Town.

The then SSP Malir Rao Anwar and DSP Qamar Ahmed Shaikh, along with 10 of their detained and 14 absconding subordinates were booked in the cases.

Seven detained policemen — Ghulam Nazuk, Shakeel Feroze, Shafique Ahmed, Allahyar, Mohammad Iqbal, Abdul Ali and Arshad Ali — had filed post-arrest bail applications. Meanwhile, six of the absconding suspects — former sub-inspector Muhammad Annar, assistant sub-inspectors Khair Muhammad and Ali Akbar Mallah, head-constable Faisal Mehmood and constables Syed Imran Raza Kazmi and Syed Raees Abbas Zaidi — had surrendered and moved pre-arrest bail applications after the trial court issued non-bailable warrants for their arrest

Editorial: A crime unpunished

On Wednesday, the ATC-III judge, who is conducting the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced his verdict which was reserved after hearing arguments from the prosecutor, the defence counsel and counsel for the complainant on the last date of hearing.

The judge dismissed the bail application of all the suspects and ordered the arrest of the six applicants who had sought pre-arrest bail. Moreover, the main murder case has been fixed for hearing on January 30.

It may be mentioned here that the former SSP Rao Anwar, then DSP Qamar Ahmed Shaikh, former SI Muhammad Yaseen, former HC Supurd Hussain and Khizar Hayat have already been granted post-arrest bail in the ongoing cases.

However, seven suspects — former SHO Amanullah Marhwat, former SHO Shoaib Shaikh alias Shoaib Shooter, former ASI Gada Hussain, former HC Mohsib Abbas, former HC Sadaqat Hussain Shah, former PC Raja Shamim Mukhtar, and former PC Rana Riaz — were still absconding and on the run.