KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Saturday issued a notice to a Rangers prosecutor to appear in court on the next date in the decade-old Arshad Pappu murder case for recording his testimony against outlawed Peoples Amn Committee chief Uzair Baloch and others.

Uzair Baloch, the alleged Lyari kingpin, former Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Shahjahan Baloch, Muhammad Yousuf, Javed Baloch, Zubair Baloch, Zakir alias Dada and Akram Baloch have been charged with murdering their rival Arshad Pappu, his brother Yasir Arafat and an aide Jumma Shera in 2013.

When the matter came up for hearing before the ATC-X judge, who is conducting the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, Uzair Baloch and other detained accused were produced from prison.

A witness of the prosecution, Abid Ansari, appeared before the court for recording his testimony, but a Rangers special prosecutor was called absent.

Ansari, who was the first IO of the triple murder case, had arrested Uzair Baloch, got recorded his purported confessional statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), got his identification parade conducted and recovered arms from co-accused.

ATC to record statement of first IO of the decade-old case on next date

The judge issued a notice to the special prosecutor, directing him to ensure his presence on the next date.

The court also directed the witness to ensure his presence on March 6 for recording his testimony against the accused persons.

The judge also fixed an application filed by co-accused Akram Baloch, seeking his acquittal in the present case under Section 265-K of the CrPC on the next date for hearing arguments from the prosecutor.

According to the prosecution, Arshad Pappu with his brother, confidant and 10-year-old son had gone to attend the party of a friend in Defence Housing Authority on the night of March 16, 2013.

A case was registered under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder), 302 (premeditated murder), 109 (abetment), 297 (trespassing on burial places, etc), 395 (punishment for dacoity) and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code read with the Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Kalakot police station on behalf of the state.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2023