SAHIWAL: The local anti-terrorism court (ATC) adjourned indictment of six Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials accused in the Sahiwal killing case of Jan 9, as the complainants’ counsel said their application seeking transfer of the case to Lahore was pending.

Complainant Muhammad Jalil told Dawn: “We want the case to be transferred because we feel threatened by pursuing the case from Sahiwal.”

Jalil, brother of one of the deceased Muhammad Khalil, had lodged a case against six CTD officials at Yousafwal police station. He had submitted an application to Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Shamim Khan to transfer the case to Lahore.

LHC to hear complainant’s plea to transfer case to Lahore on 16th

During hearing by the ATC on Tuesday, the complainant’s counsel pleaded that since their application for case transfer was pending with the high court, the ATC should adjourn the indictment of the accused.

The LHC had earlier fixed May 6 for hearing the case transfer application, but as LHC Chief Justice Khan was not present on Monday, the court set a new date of hearing. Barrister Ehtesham Amiruddin, the complainant’s counsel in the case, confirmed that the next date of hearing at LHC is May 16.

Therefore, ATC Special Judge Naeem adjourned the case and fixed May 17 as the next date of hearing in Sahiwal.

On the other hand, the CTD’s counsel did not appear in ATC on Tuesday. Abid Ali, the complainant’s counsel here, said this was the second time that the CTD’s counsel had not appeared in the ATC.

Jalil told Dawn that for the last two months he had been receiving calls threatening him to withdraw the case. He had also filed a first information report with Kot Lakhpat police to track down the callers threatening him. He claimed Kot Lakhpat police had probably traced the callers’ identity but he had not been updated about the case.

Replying to a question over his family’s protest on May 4 on The Mall, Lahore, he said the Punjab chief minister’s spokesman Shahbaz Gill approached and assured them that their demands -- withdrawal of CTD Lahore case against the deceased Khalil, formation of a judicial commission by the Supreme Court and transfer of case from Sahiwal to Lahore -- will be met within three days.

Jalil further told Dawn that so far he had received no indication from the provincial government over fulfillment of their demands. He hoped the government will come up with something positive.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2019