KARACHI, Sept 22: An anti-terrorism court put off on Wednesday the hearing of a case against Waheed brothers after recording the statement of a prosecution witness.
Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2, who is conducting the trial inside the Central Prison, fixed Sept 30 for the next hearing after the statement of Abdur Razzaq, a male nurse at the Bismillah Taqi Blood Diseases Centre where an injured worker of the Jundullah was treated.
Dr Akmal Waheed, a cardiologist, and his younger brother Dr Arshad Waheed, a kidney surgeon, are facing a series of charges, including medical treatment to Al Qaeda and other terrorists, and for sending people to Wana for terrorist trainings.
They have been charged with financing, harbouring and treating the activists of the Jundullah. The police announced the arrest of the doctor brothers on July 2, though the family claimed that they had been picked up on June 17.
PW Abdul Razzaq, who was also cross-examined by defence counsel M Ilyas Khan and Shaukat Hiyat, was the second prosecution witness. Earlier, the prosecution had examined Dr Rehana Begum, who had treated the injured activist.
The male nurse stated that he was on duty in the emergency section of the hospital when Dr Rehana Begum asked him to treat an injured person, namely Abdullah. He submitted that the injured had left the hospital after being given treatment.
Later, he said, the police showed him the photograph of the injured Jundullah activist, identifying him as Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah. During cross-examination, the prosecution witness stated that there were three other patients in the emergency section, who were also given treatment. He said he could not identify the other three patients if produced.
According to police, some Jundullah activists, arrested for their involvement in an attack on the corps commander's convoy and other terrorist activities, stated that the doctor brothers had close links with them.
The two doctors were given in police custody for interrogation in the corps commander's convoy attack and rangers killing cases till July 14. However, later they were exonerated from the charges in the two cases and the police booked them in a fresh case on July 15.
The fresh case was registered by the Gulshan-i-Iqbal police under Sections 201, 211 and 216 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 21-C, 21-J and 11-M of the Anti-Terrorism Act for financing, assisting, harbouring and treating the activists of the banned Jundullah.
According to prosecution, the two doctors sent two activists of Jundullah, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah and Mohammed Qasim, to Wana for terrorist training. They also allegedly used to give shelter to Jundullah and Al Qaeda activists, who included Abu Massab, Gul Hasan and Hassam Al-Saim.
The doctor brothers were also charged with providing medical treatment to Shahzad Ahmed Bajwah and other Jundullah activists, who were injured in an attack on a rangers mobile near the Baloch Colony bridge.
According to prosecution, a terrorist, Ata ur Rehman, contacted Dr Akmal Waheed on mobile phone for treatment of injured Bajwah. The doctor allegedly asked the caller to bring the patient to Bismillah Centre where he was treated by Dr Saqib and Dr Rehana.
MURDER CASE: Judge Arshad Noor Khan of the ATC-3 put off the hearing of a kidnapping-cum-murder case against two accused after one of the defence counsel completed the cross-examination of the first prosecution witness.
The judge fixed Thursday for the next hearing after the cross-examination of victim's father, Syed Hasan Abbas, who was also the complainant in the case against accused Khurrum Mushtaq and Ather Mehmood.
Victim Raghib Hussain was kidnapped around 11:30am on April 1 this year and he was found in an unconscious state near Singapore Towers on Sharea Faisal in the evening. According to prosecution, the victim was shifted to the Liaquat National Hospital. On April 2, he told his mother that he was kidnapped by his friend, Sheeraz, who posed him as a girl on the internet.
The victim told the family that on March 31 the imposter invited him to a place in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. He stated that he reached the Rado Centre in his Suzuki FX car. He said that Sheeraz, along with a girl got into his car and they kidnapped him at gunpoint.
The victim said the couple took him to a bungalow in Gulistan-i-Jauhar where accused Khurrum, Asif, and Ather were already present. He stated that accused Asif pushed a syringe in his chest as other accused caught hold of him. He said that after a little while Asif injected another syringe in his chest and he fell unconscious.
The victim's mother stated to the police that her brother had seen her son going with a man and a woman in his car. She said around 1.30 pm, the kidnappers phoned her and demanded Rs1 million for the release of her son. She said around 8.30am the kidnappers again phoned her to tell that her son was lying near Singapore Tower.
According to the charge sheet, the victim died at the hospital on April 16 and his mother informed the Gulistan-i- Jauhar police about the incident. Later on July 26, sub-inspector Adnan arrested accused Khurrum and Ather. Three other accused, including a young woman, are still absconding and the court issued non-bailable warrants for their arrest.