KARACHI, March 11: An anti-terrorism court indicted on Monday an alleged activist of Hizbul Tehreer in a pamphlet case.

Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 fixed Saturday for recording the statement of the prosecution witnesses after Dr Ismail Shaikh, the London-born dental surgeon, pleaded “not guilty”.

The 31-year-old dentist, who was acquitted in August last year in an identical case, was booked and arrested on Oct 29, 2004, while he was allegedly distributing pamphlets, containing objectionable material, in front of the Lal Masjid at Paposh Nagar, Nazimabad, after Juma prayers.

He was initially arrested on July 3 last year for allegedly distributing pamphlets, containing material against the US policies, Jews and Pakistan in front of a Clifton mosque.

According to prosecution, the dentist was the member of Palestine-based proscribed organisation, Hizbul Tehreer.

The doctor had come from London a couple of years ago and he was residing in Nazimabad. He first came here in 1999 and married his cousin. Later he divorced his wife in 2002 and left for London. He solemnised his second marriage in London and returned here in early 2004.

BLAST CASE: An anti-terrorism court put off on Friday the hearing of a petrol pump blast case against two workers of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi after the prosecution examined its last four witnesses.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 fixed March 17 for recording the statements of the accused after the deposition by Abdul Jabbar, an employee of the petrol pump, and three investigation officers, inspectors Hadi Bux, Mohammad Raees and Chaudhry Barkat.

Naeem Roofi and Syed Ahmer Kazmi are being prosecuted for carrying out a bomb blast at a Shell petrol pump at Khiyaban-i-Bahriya, Defence Housing Authority, in Gizri police area on May 15, 2003.

The four prosecution witnesses were also cross-examined by defence counsel M. R. Syed. Special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum examined in all 11 prosecution witnesses.