KARACHI, June 28: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday indicted a suspect in a sectarian killing case.

Ali Raza alias Ali Langra along with his absconding associates has been charged with killing Hafiz Ahmed Qamar, the son of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Qamaruddin, within the remit of the Shah Faisal Colony police station in December last year.

ATC-I Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso read out the charges but the suspect pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

The court summoned the prosecution witnesses with the direction to record their statements on July 17.

A case (FIR No.445/2011) was registered under sections 302 (punishment for premeditated murder), 324 (attempt to commit murder), 298-A (use of derogatory remarks etc in respect of holy personage), 147 (punishment for rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Case transferred

The same court transferred a case pertaining to alleged confinement of over 50 children at a seminary to the regular court.

Suspects Qari Mohammad Usman, Qari Dawood, Abdullah, Qudratullah and Fakhruddin were booked after police raided a seminary, situated near an Afghan refugees camp within the remit of the Gulshan-i-Maymar police station on the night of Dec 12, 2011.

Public prosecutor Abdul Maroof on Thursday informed the court that none of the sections in the present case fell within the ambit of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The defence side then moved a transfer application under Section 23 of ATA. The court allowed the application and transferred the case to a regular court.

According to the prosecution, the policed raided the seminary and found over 50 children as well as 14 other people in wrongful confinement there.

A case (FIR No. 273/11) was lodged under Sections 342, 344 (wrongful confinement for 10 or more days), 506-B (punishment for criminal intimidation), 337-1 (Shajjah) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.