KARACHI: An antiterrorism court reserved on Tuesday its verdict till April 19 in a case pertaining to the murder of teenage student allegedly by the son of a senior police officer in Defence Housing Authority in 2014.

Salman Abro, the prime accused along with police guards of his father, SSP Ghulam Sarwar Abro, has been charged with shooting to death his classmate Suleman Lashari and wounding his private guard after breaking into the victim’s house on the night of May 8, 2014.

His father’s four police guards — Yasin Jamali, Imran Ali, Maqbool Brohi and Mohammad Rashid — have also been charged with the murder.

The incident had triggered a debate on the social media about the highhandedness of the children of the elite families demonstrating powers in a brutal manner.

On Tuesday, the ATC-VII judge, who is conducting the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, reserved his verdict after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.

The judge will pronounce the verdict on April 19.

In February 2015, the court had formally indicted the main accused and others in the present case. Thus, the trial took around eight years to conclude.

During the trial, the prosecution examined some 18 witnesses, including the victim’s mother, his elder brother and brother-in-law, against the accused persons.

On the other hand, the defence examined four witness, all police officials, who are also facing trial in the same case, to depose in favour of prime accused Abro.

According to the prosecution, Lashari was studying in his balcony around midnight when Abro and his police guards came to settle a dispute and opened fire at him. The guards deployed at the victim’s house retaliated, injuring Abro and killing Ahmed.

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2022