KARACHI: The provincial home department has allowed a request of prison authorities for conducting ‘trial inside jail’ of five suspects detained for allegedly helping militants, who stormed the Chinese consulate in November, due to ‘security threats,’ it emerged on Sunday.

Judicial sources told Dawn that the antiterrorism court-II had received an official notification issued by the provincial home department regarding transfer of the trial from it (ATC-II) on the request of the prison superintendent. Earlier, the prison chief had recommended trial of the suspects in the present case inside jail since it was not possible to transport them from the Central Jail Karachi to the ATC-II located in Clifton due to security risks.

The ATCs administrative judge is likely to transfer the case to any other antiterrorism court located in the judicial complex inside the CJK.

In February, the ATCs administrative judge had transferred the case to the ATC-II after the investigating officer of the counter-terrorism department filed an interim investigation report.

In the interim report, the IO charge-sheeted Ahmed Hasnain; Ali Ahmed, alias Hashim; Mohammad Aslam; Nadir Khan, alias Baladi; and Abdul Latif as the alleged facilitators and also incorporated Section 21-I (aid and abetment) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 in the interim investigation report and said that the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), supported by the RAW, was behind the attack aimed at harming the relations between Pakistan and China.

Hyrbyair Marri, the self-exiled leader of the banned BLA, Ali Dad Baladi, alias Aslam Achhu, and 13 others are named as absconders in the interim report while Abdul Razzaq, alias Jalal; Raees Baloch and Azal Baloch were named as attackers, who carried out the gun-and-grenade attack on the consulate in a high-security zone of Clifton on Nov 23.

Two policemen and two visa applicants (father and son) were killed before the militants were cut down by police and Rangers personnel.

Seven people, including three heavily armed militants, two policemen and two visitors were shot dead in a gun-and-grenade attack by them on the Chinese consulate located in the ‘high security zone’ in Clifton’s Block-4.

A case under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempt to murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 (acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and Sections 3/4 and 4/5 of the Explosives Act 1908 and Section 23(i)-A of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013 was registered at the CTD police station.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2019