KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday reserved its order on an acquittal application of the prime suspect in the Defence Housing Authority shootout case.

Salman Abro, son of a senior superintendent of police, along with five police guards of his father has been booked for allegedly killing his 18-year-old classmate Suleman Lashari and wounding his private guard after breaking into his house in DHA in May. The prime suspect also sustained wounds and one of his five guards was killed in an exchange of fire.

The defence lawyer moved a set of applications, including acquittal application, return of a vehicle used in crime, legal objection over acceptance of charge-sheet and alleged violation of Articles 9 and 10 of Constitution by the investigating officer.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Saleem Raza Baloch of the ATC-III reserved orders on all the applications for pronouncement till Nov 26.

Two acquitted

Another ATC on Saturday acquitted two men in a kidnapping for ransom case after the captive and other key witnesses did not turn up to testify.

Mohammad Ayub and Gul Badin have been charged with allegedly kidnapping Allah Mohammad, father of a businessman, in Mobina Town in 2008 and demanding a ransom for his release.

Judge Mohammad Javed Alam of the ATC-V exonerated them as the captive and his two sons, who were eyewitnesses in the case, did not appear before the court for evidence. The police informed the court that they remained untraceable.

However, both the accused were sentenced to seven years imprisonment in two connected cases pertaining to the recovery of illicit weapons.

Warrant out for IO

Another ATC on Saturday issued a warrant for the arrest of the investigating officer over his absence in the Arshad Pappu murder case.

Shahjehan Baloch, an MNA of the Pakistan People Party from Lyari, along with other accused have been charged with their alleged involvement in the murder of Arshad Pappu, the alleged leader of an infamous Lyari gang, his brother Yasir Arafat and their confidant Juma Shera, who were killed in March last year.

Judge Ikhlaq Hussain Larak of the ATC-VII issued a non-bailable warrant for IO Abid Ansari till Nov 29.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2014