KARACHI, Oct 16: The district and sessions judge, West, acquitted on Tuesday two workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in a case pertaining to attempt to murder and shootout with a police party.
Judge Ms Nuzhat Ara Alvi acquitted Maqsood KDA Wala and Ghulam Haider due to contradiction in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses.
The two workers were booked in 1995 by the Pak Colony police under different sections, including 324 and 335 of PPC.
KIDS MURDER CASE: A policeman being prosecuted for killing two minor children of a woman judge during a shootout with bandits deposed in an anti-terrorism court that he did not take part in the exchange of fire.
Two alleged dacoits, who had held a judge and her family hostage in an attempt to escape, also denied all charges against them.
Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 put off the hearing of the case to Wednesday when one of the accused policemen, Arif, would produce a witness in his defence.
Baby Aliza, aged five years, and Master Ozaam, aged 21/2 years, children of Additional District and Sessions Judge Rashida Asad, were killed when one of the bullets, fired by a police party, pierced through their bodies on March 19. The judge and her family were held as hostage in her official car when the police party allegedly sprayed the vehicle with bullets as it came out of Mr Asad’s house in PECHS.
The judge also suffered a bullet wound.
Two bandits, however, fled away despite heavy firing by police, which arrested one injured suspect. Identified as Mohammed Husain, the suspect later died of his bullet wound in a hospital.
Later, a CIA police party arrested two alleged dacoits, Jaseem alias Joshi and Saleem alias Darvesh, who were also identified by the judge and her husband at an identification parade before a judicial magistrate.
Police submitted two separate charge sheets (challans), one against the alleged bandits and the other against four policemen, Suprud Husain, Liaquat Ali, Ghulam Mujtaba and Mohammed Arif, for the killing of the judge’s two children.
Except for Arif, all the other accused policemen have been absconding and the judge declared them proclaimed offenders.
Recording his statement before the court under section 342 of CrPC, accused Arif said he did not take part in the shootout with the fleeing dacoits as his mobile van was parked away from the judge’s residence.
He prayed the court to examine the driver of the police van as a witness for his defence. The court allowed the prayer and ordered the defence witness to appear in the court on the next date of hearing.