KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Monday acquitted an activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a murder case.
Raeesuddin, who is said to be a former Korangi sector in charge of the MQM, was charged with killing local government officer Amir Zai in October 2013 in Korangi.
On Monday, the ATC-VII judge, who was conducting the trial in the judicial complex inside the central prison, pronounced his verdict reserved earlier after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.
The judge noted that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge against the accused.
The prison authorities were asked to release him forthwith, if his custody was not required in any other case.
However, Raeesuddin may not be released since he is facing trial in multiple criminal cases before the antiterrorism courts.
According to the prosecution, Raeesuddin along with his absconding accomplices — Jibran, Feroze, Khurram Butt — had killed the victim at the behest of the former head of MQM’s Karachi Tanzeemi Committee.
The state prosecutor argued that Amir Zai was returning home after attending a wedding ceremony on Oct 24, 2013 when two unknown armed motorcyclists sprayed his car with bullets in Korangi.
‘Confessional statement’
He submitted that accused Raeesuddin, who was in custody of the Nabi Bux police station in connection with other cases, had on April 16, 2018 voluntarily recorded his confessional statement disclosing his involvement in the present case.
He further argued that there was sufficient material, medical and ocular evidence, which fully corroborated the prosecution’s case. Therefore, he pleaded to punish him according to the law.
In his statement recorded under Section 342 of the criminal procedure code, the accused denied the allegations and claimed innocence.
Defence counsel Mushtaq Ahmed contended that the alleged confessional statement upon which the prosecution had mainly relied was an inadmissible piece of evidence since a confessional statement recorded in one case could not be legally used against the accused in another case.
A case was registered under Section 302 (premeditated murder), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Korangi police station on complaint of the victim’s brother, Muhammad Arif Zai.
Arrested by Interpol in Malaysia
In March 2018, the media had reported that Interpol had arrested Raeesuddin in Malaysia and brought to Karachi, where police obtained his custody at the airport.
Later, police claimed that Raees was a hitman belonging to the MQM-London and was allegedly involved in many cases of murder, extortion, etc.
He had purportedly fled the country in 2014 to avoid arrest, but was arrested by Interpol in 2017.
Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2022