KARACHI: The administrative judge of antiterrorism courts on Saturday remanded four suspects to prison in a case pertaining to the murder of former MNA of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Ali Raza Abidi.

After the end of their four-day physical remand, investigating officer Ali Haider of the Counter-Terrorism Depar­tment again produced Mohammad Farooq, Abdul Haseeb, Mohammad Ghazali and Abu Bakar before the administrative judge of ATCs, Karachi.

The IO submitted that the investigation had been completed and custody of the suspects was no more required for questioning.

The administrative judge sent the suspects to prison on judicial remand and directed the IO to file the investigation report as required under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code till March 18.

Earlier, the IO had contended that the suspects belonged to one of the several criminal gangs operating in Lyari and their four accomplices Bilal, Hasnain, Faizan and Mustafa, were still at large.

The remand papers said that initially police arrested Farooq on March 4 and other suspects were also apprehended in a Lyari locality on a lead provided by him.

According to the prosecution, 46-year-old Abidi, former MNA and leader of a faction of the MQM, was shot dead by armed motorcyclists in an attack on his vehicle outside his residence in Defence Housing Authority, Phase-V on Dec 25 last year.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 on the complaint of the victim’s father Akhlaq Abidi at the Gizri police station.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2019