KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Saturday extended till March 16 the physical remand of the owner of a multistorey building that collapsed in Gulbahar recently and caused death of 27 persons. The remand of his alleged accomplice and three officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) was also extended.

After the end of their first remand, the investigating officer produced Mohammad Javed, Mohammad Younus and the three SBCA officials — deputy director Sarfaraz Jamali, assistant director Maqsood Qureshi and building inspector Irfan Ali — before the judicial magistrate (Central) and sought extension in their custody for further questioning.

The IO submitted that during interrogations, Javed disclosed the names of some more SBCA officials and others who allegedly helped him in construction of the building.

He further maintained that a letter had been sent to the SBCA director general to also make those officials part of the investigation.

Suspects in TV anchor murder case to be indicted on 28th

A lawyer for victims also moved an application requesting the magistrate to make the wife and daughter of Javed accused in the case since the building/plot was on their names.

The magistrate remanded the suspect in police custody till March 16 and directed the IO to produce them again with a progress report on the next hearing.

According to the prosecution, the five-storey residential building collapsed on March 5, resulting in the death of 27 people and causing injuries to over 20 others.

The building was owned by Javed, who himself was engaged in the business of construction and he had constructed the building in question on plot Number 1/95 in Gulbahar-2 area, it added.

The police nominated the owner as well as the officials of the building regulatory watchdog posted in the area in the case.

A case was registered under Sections 322 (manslaughter), 119 (public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent), 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on behalf of the state.

TV anchor’s murder case 

A sessions court on Saturday expressed annoyance over the repeated absence of a defence lawyer in a case pertaining to the murder of TV anchor Mureed Abbas and another man over a dispute involving shady investments worth billions of rupees.

Police have booked and arrested prime suspect Atif Zaman and his brother Adil Zaman for killing his two business partners — Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat — in Khayaban-i-Bukhari, DHA, over a financial dispute, on July 9, 2019.

The court observed that apparently delaying tactics were deliberately made on the part of the suspects and their lawyer, as the duo had not been indicted despite the passage of around seven months.

When the case came up for hearing on Saturday, Advocate Fareed Ahmed Dayo, counsel for accused Atif Zaman, once again failed to appear in court.

The court provided a lawyer to the suspect on state expenses and ruled that a further delay would not be tolerated and the suspects would be indicated on March 28.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2020