KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Thursday summoned ballistics and chemical experts on July 27 to record their testimonies in a case pertaining to killing of an aspiring young Waziristan model, Naqeebullah Mehsud, in a ‘staged’ encounter.

Former SSP Malir Rao Anwar along with his around two dozen subordinates has been charged with killing Naseemullah Mehsud, better known as Naqeeb, along with three others — Sabir, Nazar Jan and Ishaq — after dubbing them ‘Taliban militants’ in a ‘fake’ shoot-out on Jan 13, 2018.

On Thursday, the matter came up before the ATC-III judge for the cross-examination of ballistics expert Farhaj Bukhari.

The witness was present, but Advocate Amir Mansoob Qureshi, defence counsel for Rao Anwar, was absent.

The judge adjourned the hearing till July 27.

The court also summoned ballistics expert Bukhari for his cross-examination and a chemical expert for his examination on the next date.

Earlier, Rao Anwar, Qamar Ahmed, Mohammad Yaseen, Supurd Hussain and Khizar Hayat appeared on bail.

Thirteen others were produced from prison.

Seven other policemen have been declared proclaimed offenders and warrants have been out for their arrest.

According to the prosecution, the undertrial policemen had kidnapped Mehsud and three others for ransom and later killed them in a fake encounter and later dubbed them as Taliban militants.

Judgement reserved in Intizar murder case

An antiterrorism court has reserved its verdict in a case related to the murder of teenager Intizar Ahmed in a ‘planned’ encounter in the Defence Housing Authority in 2018.

Nine officials of the Anti-Car Lifting Cell — the then station house officer Tariq Mehmood, then inspectors Azhar Ahsan and Tariq Raheem, then head constables Shahid Usman and Ghulam Abbas, and then constables Ghulam Abbas, Fawad Khan, Mohammad Daniyal and Bilal Rasheed — were charged with the killing.

Nineteen-year-old Intizar, who was studying in Malaysia, had returned to Pakistan for holidays.

He was travelling in his car with a female friend, Madiha Kayani, when policemen in plain clothes chased his car and shot him dead in DHA on Jan 13, 2018.

The matter came up before the ATC-VII on Wednesday.

The judge reserved his verdict after the defence and prosecution completed final arguments.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2021