KARACHI: An antiterrorism court indicted on Monday two detained suspects in a case pertaining to the alleged targeted killing of a Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi activist.

The accused, Raees-ud-Din, alias Mama, and Ahmed Saeed, alias Saeed Bharam, belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, were charged with murdering their rival Tariq Samad within the remit of the Korangi police station in 2014.

On Monday, the matter came up before the ATC-III judge, who is conducting trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, for framing amended charges against the accused persons.

Rangers special public prosecutor Mohammad Afzal contended that apart from three other accused, who were already indicted in the present case, Raees-ud-Din and Ahmed Saeed were also involved in the murder of the victim. Therefore, he pleaded for framing the amended charges.

After going through the case record and hearing arguments of the prosecutor, the judge indicted both the accused with the crime and summoned the witnesses for recording their testimonies on the next date of hearing.

Earlier, the court had indicted Shahid Qureshi, alias Badtameez, Zakir Qureshi and Ayaz Ahmed in the present case.

According to the prosecution, Tariq Samad was sitting in the Wahid Football Ground in Korangi’s J-Area on June 29, 2014 when gunmen appeared there and opened fire.

It further alleged that being the then sector in-charge of Korangi, Raees-ud-Din had issued directives for the murder of the victim, said to be a member of the MQM-H sector committee in Korangi. He succumbed to the wounds while the attackers escaped.

Initially, a case under sections 302 (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code was lodged on a complaint of the victim’s brother. Later, Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 was incorporated.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2019