PESHAWAR, Aug 18: A man arrested on charges of killing Aslam Farooqui, the provincial secretary-general of the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) refused to plead guilty on Saturday and was sent to prison by an anti-terrorism court.

The accused, Shabih Hussain, was produced before the anti-terrorism court presided over by Shahjee Rehman after completion of his five-day remand with the local police.

The accused was allegedly caught by the relatives of Mr Farooqui after he shot him and was trying to escape. The incident occurred in Mohallah Naqshbandi of the Kohati area.

According to the investigation officer, the accused was expected to confess to the crime. The ATC referred the accused to a judicial magistrate, Aurangzeb Khan, for recording his statement.

However, when the judicial magistrate asked the accused if he was guilty of the crime, the accused replied in the negative.