LAHORE, March 7: The anti-terrorism court trying Dr Ahmad Javed Khwaja and his brother on Friday directed the prosecution to bring on record all the incriminating material against the accused.

On the first day of Dr Ahmad Javed Khwaja and Ahmad Naveed Khwaja’s trial in the Kot Lakpat Jail, the court pointed out that evidence regarding the recovery of CDs and floppies containing the alleged correspondence of the accused with Al Qaeda terrorists, was not on judicial record. The prosecution was directed to submit all such evidence to the court by March 15, so that trial of the accused could commence. Copies of the chargesheet would also be given to the accused on the same date.

Defence counsel Pervez Inayat Malik moved an application before the court pleading that journalists, public and the relatives of the accused be allowed to attend the proceedings. The prosecution was issued notice for the next hearing on this application.

The court also disposed of an application of the accused for penalisation of the jail staff for not producing them in the court. The defence counsel withdrew the application saying that the accused had been produced in the court and their relatives allowed to see them. He, however, requested the court to direct the jail staff to be careful in future and abide by court orders.

Earlier, at the start of Friday’s proceedings, the two accused were produced before the judge in the courtroom of Kot Lakpat Jail. The LHC had upheld the verdict of the ATC and allowed the trial in jail for security reasons. After the court proceedings, only four relatives out of more than two dozen, were allowed to see the two elder Khwajas.

The Khwajas have been accused of opening fire on a police party outside their residence in Manawan and corresponding with Al Qaeda activists.