KARACHI, May 26: An anti-terrorism court put off on Monday the hearing of the Frenchmen killing case against two workers of a banned religious outfit after the statement of a prosecution witness.
Judge Feroz Mahmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who is conducting the trial inside the central prison, fixed Tuesday for the next hearing after the statement of Judicial Magistrate, South, Ms Irum Jhangir.
Accused Mohammed Asif Zaheer and Rizwanullah, who were allegedly trained in a camp belonging to Harkat Jihad-i-Islami in Afghanistan, are facing the charges of killing 11 French naval engineers and two Pakistanis in a suicide bomb attack last year.
The JM, who had conducted the identification parades of the two accused and recorded the confessional statement of one of them, was also cross-examined by the defence counsel.
The prosecution witness deposed before the court that accused Asif Zaheer was produced before her on January 8 for his confessional statement and identification parade. She said an eye-witness had identified the accused, who also recorded his confession.
The magistrate further submitted that the investigation agency produced accused Rizwanullah before her on January 23. The accused was identified by the eye-witness during identification parade, she said.
The French engineers, who were helping Pakistan build its Agosta 90-B submarine, were killed when an explosives-laden vehicle struck their bus outside Sheraton Hotel.
The bus of the Pak Navy, carrying the French engineers, was about to move in front of Sheraton Hotel on Club Road in the morning, when a red car stopped beside the bus and blew up with a bang, destroying it completely and causing damage to the shops located at the ground floor of the Pearl Continental and Sheraton hotels.
The victims included Leclerc Jean Yves, Bled Cedric, Groux Pascal, Le Carpentier Daniel, Chevassut Jean Michel, Leconte Pascal, Drouet Claude, Dupont Bernard. A Pakistani woman was also among the dead.
Accused Asif Zaheer and Rizwanullah are being represented by M. R. Syed and Gohar Iqbal respectively. Mohammed Ashraf Mughul has been appointed on state expenses for the absconding accused Mohammed Saeed alias Akram , Adnan Qamar alias Noni alias Osama, Abdul Samad, Basit and Mustafa.
Special public prosecutor Maula Bux Bhatti, assisted by court’s special public prosecutor Mazhar Qayyum, has so far examined as many as 38 prosecution witnesses.