KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Friday summoned prosecution witnesses to record their testimonies in the cases pending against two alleged Islamic State-inspired militants pertaining to an attack on a Navy officer and two alleged murder cases.

The detained accused — Saad Aziz alias Tin Tin and Tahir Hussain Minhas alias Saeen — have been charged with planning an attack on the Navy officer as well as a bomb blast and a policeman’s murder.

On Friday, the matters came up before the ATC-XVII judge for recording testimonies of prosecution witnesses in all cases.

The accused, 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.

One of the cases pertains to the murder of a navy officer

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.

The supervisor investigating officer Raza Zaidi produced a witness, constable Mohammad Anwar, to testify before the court.

After recording his statement, the judge summoned other witnesses and directed SIO Zaidi to ensure their presence before the court on the next date and adjourned the hearing till Feb 19.

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 also took up the matter pertaining to killing of a policeman and summoned the investigating officer of the case and prosecution witnesses to record their testimonies against the detained suspect Saad Aziz.

The matter was fixed for recording statements of the witnesses, but the investigating officer Inspector Ali Hyder Shah and the prosecution witnesses failed to turn up. The matter was fixed on Feb 19.

According to the prosecution, 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 prosecution witnesses to testify against the accused Tahir Hussain in a case pertaining to killing of a deputy managing director of the K-Electric in a bomb blast.

The matter was fixed for recording statements of the witnesses, but no witness turned up.

The court was informed that Inspector Sohail Iqbal had been assigned the case by the SSP concerned.

The judge issued notices to the witnesses with direction to IO Iqbal to produce them before the court for recording their statements on the next date and fixed the matter on Feb 19.

According to the prosecution, Farhan Khalil, a deputy MD 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, February 8th, 2020