KARACHI, Oct 31: Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, anti-terrorism courts’ administrative judge for Karachi division, discharged four men allegedly found collecting donations for a banned militant organization when the police failed to establish their link with it.

Mohammad Khurram, Aslam Pervaiz, Mohammad Azam and Mohammad Ismail were arrested in Nazimabad on Oct 28 for collecting funds and donations for Jaish-i-Mohammad disguised as Al Rehmat Trust. Police said they were associated with the banned outfit and were only drawing receipts in the name of Al Rehmat Trust.

Seeking their remand for further inquiry, the investigation officer said Al Rehmat Trust was a sister organization of Jaish and the arrested people were soliciting and collecting, ‘fitrana’, zakat and donations in general for earthquake victims in the name of the trust.

A case under the relevant provisions of Section 11 of the Anti-Terrorist Act had been registered and their physical custody was required for interrogation and further investigation.

The IO, however, stated that he had not recovered any material to connect the accused with Jaish and the receipt books seized from them belonged to the trust, which was not an outlawed organization barred from collecting donations. He had no material evidence to link the trust with the banned Jaish. No incriminating material besides the receipt books had been recovered from the accused, he said. The judge ordered the police to release the accused if they were not wanted in any other case.