KARACHI: An antiterrorism court has indicted an Islamic State-inspired suspect in a case pertaining to a cracker attack on a Karachi Imambargah in 2014.

The accused, Saad Aziz, alias Tin Tin, and his three alleged absconding accomplices have been charged with attacking the Islamic Research Centre Imambargah near Ayesha Manzil, killing a minor girl and injuring nine others on Oct 28, 2014.

The matter came up before the ATC-VII judge, who is conducting trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, when detained accused Saad Aziz was produced from the prison.

The judge read out the charges to the accused. He pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

Thereafter, the judge summoned the witnesses of the prosecution to record their testimonies on next date of hearing. The investigating officer was directed to produce the witnesses on March 2.

Saad Aziz was sentenced to death by a military court in the 2015 Safoora Goth bus carnage case

Saad Aziz — who was sentenced to death by a military court for the Safoora Goth bus carnage in which around 43 members of the Ismaili community were killed in March 2015 — was booked in the present case by the Counter-Terrorism Department.

According to the prosecution, during interrogation the accused, who was already in the custody of the CTD, had disclosed that he with absconding accomplices Ali Rehman, alias Tona, Imran Bhatti, alias Suleman, and Sharmeela Pathan, hurled a cracker on the Imambargah.

It said the accused further disclosed their association with the Islamic State, adding that they used to get instructions about their targets from Imran Bhatti, who would also provide weapons and money to them.

A case was registered under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 read with Section 3/4 of the Explosives Act at the CTD Civil Lines police station.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2020