KARACHI, April 4: An anti-terrorism court reserved, on Thursday, judgement in a sectarian-killing case against two workers of the banned Tehrik-i-Jafferia Pakistan.
Judge Abdul Ghafoor Memon of the ATC fixed Saturday for the pronouncement of the judgment, after the special public prosecutor, Mazhar Qayyum, concluded his arguments.
Two TJP workers — Syed Muhammed Qasim and Hasan Ali — have been tried for the murder of two workers of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan.
SSP activists Muhammed Iqbal and Abdullah were killed and seven others wounded when their vehicle was fired upon on Oct 22, last year. The victims were on their way back after attending a party rally.
Later, Syed Muhammed Qasim and Hasan Ali, represented by Syed Tasawwar Husain Rizvi, were arrested by the Site police. Five others, including Allama Hasan Turrabi, Mirza Yousuf and Asif, were shown absconders in the final charge-sheet.
Earlier, on Jan 8, the ATC-II, then headed by Judge Abdul Hamid Abro, had declared the provincial TJP chief and four others as proclaimed offenders in a double murder case. The court also ordered the attachment of entire movable and immovable properties of the absconding accused.
FINAL ARGUMENTS: Judge Arshad Noor Khan of ATC-III put off the hearing of five cases of sectarian murders till April 6, when he would hear the final arguments from the defence and prosecution.
Four men — Mufti Muhammed Shahid Hanif, the 32-year-old Pesh Imam of a mosque; Muhammed Talha Hasan alias Nauman (16); Haider Ali (22) and Khalil Ahmed (32) — are facing charges for the murder of five people belonging to the rival sect.
The four were allegedly involved in the killing of Altaf Hussain, a divisional engineer of the Pakistan Telecommunications Limited, on Feb 19, within the limits of the PIB Colony police station. The victim was being driven to office in his official car when it was ambushed.
The second case against them pertained to the murder of a doctor on May 31, last year, within the limits of the Aziz Bhatti police station. Dr Raza Mehdi Jafferi was shot dead as he got into his car in front of his clinic in Block 15, Gulshan-i-Iqbal.
The third case pertained to the killing of Syed Zafar Hussain, director, Research and Technology Centre, Ministry of Defence, on July 7, 2001 within the limits of the Gulbhar police station.
The fourth case was registered by the Gulberg police for the murder of Syed Ali Hasnain Naqvi on Sept 4, last year.
The four are facing charges of murdering Dr Ishrat Hussain near his clinic in North Nazimabad within the limits of the Sharea Noor Jehan police station.
The accused persons are being represented by Naimat Ali Randhawa.
Earlier, the judge dismissed the application of the defence counsel for the court inspection of place of arrest of the accused persons.