KARACHI: An antiterrorism court (ATC) on Friday issued notices for April 21 to the prosecution, accused and others to advance their arguments about the fate of the final charge sheet in the Nazim Jokhio murder case.

The ATC-XV judge directed lawyers for all the parties concerned to assist the court regarding the acceptance of the charge sheet or otherwise on the next date.

The court also put the lawyers for the accused and an assistant prosecutor general (APG) on notice on an application moved by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) to become a party/intervener in the case.

Representing the NCHR, lawyer Jibran Nasir argued that there was violation of human rights in the present case and no chance of a fair trial if it was left at the mercy of state offices.

Counsel oppose NCHR plea to become intervener

He asked the court to allow the application to become a party in the case in order to assist the trial court to ensure efficacious, expeditious and complete adjudication of the case.

But accused counsel Sagheer Ahmed Abbasi, Muzaffar Hussain Solangi opposed the application stating that the intervener could not be made in criminal proceedings and also questioned the locus standi of the applicant.

The court directed the lawyers for all the accused/suspects and the APG to advance their arguments on the NCHR application on the next hearing.

It also directed the jail authorities to produce the detained suspects, including MPA Jam Awais, in court on the next hearing.

Notices were also issued to the suspects who are on bail including PPP MNA Jam Karim Bijjar.

The ATC in its order said Haider Ali and Meer Ali had been sent up for trial in the charge sheet while another accused Niaz had been shown as an absconder and 13 other suspects, including MNA Jam Karim and his brother MPA Awais had not been charge-sheeted and placed in column No.2 of the charge sheet.

The court also issued notice on another application filed by a lawyer under Section 190 (cognizance of offences by magistrates) of the criminal procedure code.

“Call the IO [investigating officer] in person to bring with all the relevant papers so that learned APG for the state may be prepared to argue on the aforesaid applications as well as on the acceptance of challan or otherwise. The court expect from all the advocates to assist the court on acceptance of challans or otherwise too,” the ATC in its order added.

The NCHR through its commissioner/member Sindh Anis Haroon filed an application and pleaded to allow the applicant as intervener/respondent in the trial proceedings in order to place on record imperative facts and agitate pertinent grounds and law and to assist the court.

Nazim Jokhio Nazim, 27, was found tortured to death at MPA Awais’ farmhouse in Malir on Nov 3, 2021.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2022