KARACHI: A sessions court has dismissed an application moved by a lawyer friend of slain Nazim Jokhio to join his murder trial as an ‘witness’ against an interned Pakistan Peoples Party lawmakers and others.

MPA Jam Awais along with his servants/guards — Haider Ali, Meer Ali, Muhammad Mairaj, Mohammad Saleem Salar, Mohammad Doda Khan, Ahmed Khan Shoro and Mohammad Soomar — have been booked and detained for murdering 26-year-old Nazim Jokhio at the MPA’s farmhouse in Malir.

Additional District and Sessions Judge (Malir) Faraz Ahmed Chandio pronounced his order on an application filed by Advocate Mazhar Ali Junejo.

In the application, Mr Junejo submitted that he was a friend of slain Jokhio, who had sent him a voice message on WhatsApp telling that he had been taken away from his house and kept at Jam House by MPA Jam Awais and being coerced to tender an apology to the politician’s foreign guests for quarrelling with them over the issue of hunting houbara bustard.

He submitted that he might be allowed to join the trial proceedings as an important ‘witness’ of the prosecution against the influential politician.

However, the state prosecutor as well as counsel for the suspects and the complainant opposed the plea.

The widow’s counsel pleaded the court not to allow the applicant to be treated as a witness in the case saying she had already reached an out-of-court settlement with the MPA and others, and did not have objection if they were acquitted and released in the case.

Published in Dawn, September 5th, 2022