HYDERABAD, June 13: The judge of Anti-Terrorism Court, Syed Ali Ashraf Shah, here on Thursday in Denial Pearl case rejected the application of the defence counsel to summon Mariane Pearl, the wife of the slain journalist, who is also the complainant in the case, to appear in the court and give her evidence.

The judge adjourned the proceedings for Monday when the cross examination of the investigating officer, Hameedullah, will be held.

The court directed the office to provide the video cassette depicting the killing of Denial Pearl to the defence counsel.

The four accused, Umer Shaikh, Shaikh Adil, Fahad Naseem and Salman Saqib, were present in the court in the Hyderabad Central Jail.

After hearing the arguments of the chief prosecutor and the Sindh Advocate-General, Raja Qureshi, and the defence council, the court rejected the application of defence council Abdul Waheed Katpar for summoning Mariane as a witness.

The AG had argued that Marine was living in Paris which was beyond the jurisdiction of the court and, therefore, she could not be summoned as a court witness and added that Mariane’s counsel Barrister Jameel had already stated before the court that his client could not come for an indefinite period as she was in a hospital.

He also argued that the proceedings had to be held from day to day under the relevant law and therefore the hearing could not be prolonged for an indefinite period.

Defence counsel Rai Bashir Ahmed told journalists that a certified copy of the video tape depicting the killing of Pearl, according to the orders of the court, would be handed over to the defence counsel on June 14, to enable them to prepare the cross examination of the investigating officer.

SPSF-SB: A large number of activists of the Sindh People’s Students Federation (SB), Sindh University, Jamshoro, unit, staged a protest demonstration outside the press club here on Wednesday against the arrest of Shaheed Bhutto group leaders, Ali Ahmed Palepoto and Majeed Siyal.