KARACHI, Dec 20: The prosecution on Wednesday concluded its evidence in a sectarian murder case against chief of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and two others with the examination of the investigation officer as the last prosecution witness.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison Karachi, fixed January 10, 2007 for the next hearing after recording the statement of IO Inspector Aashiq Haideri, who was also cross-examined by defence counsel M. R. Syed. LJ chief Akram Lahori and his two alleged associates, Mohammed Azam and Ataullah, have been charged with the killing of the owner and an employee of a juice centre on May 25, 2002 in Rizvia Society.

The trial against the LJ men re-started after a pause of over three years as Lahori was shifted to Punjab in November 2003 in connection with the cases pending against him there. He was brought back to Karachi a couple of weeks back.

On November 5, 2003 the court had recorded the statement of the 16th prosecution witness, Naib Hussain, who had identified the three accused during an identification parade before a judicial magistrate, as well as in the trial court.

According to the eyewitness, he was having juice at the Agha Juice Centre in the evening when the three accused came there on a motorbike. He submitted that accused Lahori and Ata alighted from the bike and fired at Agha Abbas, the 70-year-old owner of the juice centre.