KARACHI, May 19: District and sessions judge (South) Zaheeruddin Leghari put off the hearing of MPA Eshwar Lal’s chit case to June23. All the accused, including MPA Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Haji Munawar Ali Abbasi, Mohammad Nawaz Chandio, Mohammad Salim Hingoro and Murad Ali Shah, were present in the court. They were booked under Section 324, 506-B, 109 and 34 of the PPC for a murder attempt on the ruling party’s minority MPA by the Preedy police on June 26, 2006.

Defence counsel Shahadat Awan and Mohammad Ashraf Qazi submitted that the copy of the chalan was not provided to them by the police and requested for the change of the date. The court ordered the provision of the copies of the relevant documents and fixed June 23 for next hearing.

Eshwar Lal, in his statement, has claimed that he was on good terms with Shazia Mari and had also exchanged gifts on different occasions. “I was told about her illness and I wished to inquire about her health through a chit during the assembly session on June 21,” he said.