KARACHI: An antiterrorism court expressed on Thursday its displeasure over non-production of witnesses in the cases pending against two alleged Islamic State-inspired suspects pertaining to an attack on a Navy officer, as well as a bomb blast and a policeman’s murder.

Police have booked Saad Aziz, alias Tin Tin, and Tahir Hussain Minhas, alias Saeen in three different cases pertaining to alleged life attempt on a Navy doctor, a bomb blast in Hyderi Market and a policeman’s murder.

On Thursday, the matters came up before the ATC-XVII for recording testimonies of prosecution witnesses. However, neither the investigating officer was present, nor were witnesses produced to record their testimonies.

IS-inspired suspects also facing two other cases

The suspects Saad Aziz and Tahir Minhas — who were sentenced to death by a military court for the Safoora Goth bus carnage in which around 43 members of the Ismaili community were killed in March 2015 — were produced from prison.

The judge took up the matter pertaining to an alleged attack on a Navy captain Nadeem Ahmed and his wife Tracy to record the testimony of a prosecution witness.

However, neither the supervisor investigating officer Raza Zaidi appeared, nor did he produce the witness.

Taking exception to failure of the IO in appearing and producing the witness, the court issued a letter to SIO Zaidi to appear on the next date and also produce the witness to record his statement.

According to the prosecution, Captain Ahmed, 40, was travelling with his Swedish wife in a car when two gunmen on a motorcycle allegedly attacked them. Ahmed died on the spot while his wife received bullet wounds, but survived the attack, it added.

It further said that the couple was on their way to Navy Engineering College on Karsaz Road from their residence when they came under attack, adding that the Navy official and his wife held PhD degrees.

Policeman’s murder case

The judge issued a letter to the in-charge of the Counter-Terrorism Department with direction to ensure production of prosecution witnesses in the case pertaining to killing of a police constable in an alleged targeted attack.

Earlier, the investigating officer, Inspector Ali Hyder Shah, appeared before the court, but he failed to produce the witnesses for recording their statements in the present case.

Taking serious exception to such attitude, the judge issued a notice to the CTD chief with direction to ensure appearance of witnesses on the next date to record their statement. The matter was fixed on Oct 26.

According to the prosecution, a police constable, Waqar Hashmi, who was posted in the Rapid Response Force Unit, was attacked and killed at the Powerhouse Chowrangi in Sector 11-K of New Karachi while returning home from his duty Oct 16, 2014. The assailant fled from the scene, it added.

A case was registered on the complaint of the victim’s brother Kamran Ahmed Hashmi at the New Karachi police station.

KE official’s murder case

The judge also summoned the supervisory investigating officer along with prosecution witnesses in a case pertaining to killing of a K-Electric deputy managing director allegedly in a bomb blast.

The investigating officer produced a prosecution witness, Inspector Javed Hussain, but the defence counsel for the suspects was absent.

Therefore, the judge directed SIO Inspector Ghulam Rasool Magsi to appear on the next date along with the witnesses to record their statements in the present case.

According to the prosecution, Farhan Khalil, a deputy managing director of the K-Electric, was killed after a magnetic bomb attached to his car allegedly went off in North Nazimabad’s Block-H on March 19, 2013.

The 45-year-old victim had left the KE’s Integrated Business Centre in Block-H for his home when his car exploded, it added.

A case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and Sections 3/4 of the Explosive Substances Act on the complaint of the victim’s brother Noman Bin Nasir at the Hyderi Market police station.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2019