KARACHI, Sept 4: An anti-terrorism court in Karachi, headed by judge Arshad Noor Khan, on Saturday indicted an accused Qurban Ali Magsi on charge of killing a police officer in an encounter.
The accused, who escaped from the scene on June 17, 2000, after a shootout with the police in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and later arrested on Dec 10, 2003, denied the prosecution charges levelled against him and pleaded not guilty.
According to prosecution, a police party of Gulshan-i-Iqbal police station, led by SI Zahid Hussain Abidi, intercepted a vehicle snatched in Jauharabad. Having seen the police, accused Qurban and Amanullah alias Shahbaz started firing on the police party.
It resulted in the death of SI Zahid Hussain while accused Amanullah was arrested in an injured condition.
Amanullah was tried before the ATC, and the court having found him guilty on charge of killing the policeman, awarded death sentence with other punishments on Sept 28, 2000.
After indictment of the absconding accused, Qurban Ali, the court directed the special public prosecutor, Naimat Ali Randhawa, to produce the prosecution witnesses on Sept 6.
JUNDULLAH: An anti-terrorism court in Karachi on Saturday fixed Sept 11 for indictment against 10 activists of the Jundullah in corps commander motorcade attack case.
"The charges could not be framed against the accused before the ATC judge, Feroz Mehmood Bhatti, on Saturday as some of the accused have not been able to engage their lawyers yet," special public prosecutor Iqtedar Ali Hashmi said.
"The court gave time to the accused for engaging counsel and fixed Sept 11 for indictment," he said.
Attaur Rehman alias Ibrahim, Shahzad Ahmed Bajwa, Yaqoob Saeed, Uzair Ahmed, Shoaib Siddiqui, Danish Inam, Najeebullah, Khurrum Saifullah, Shahzad Mukhtar and Khalid Rao are charged with attacking the motorcade of Corps Commander of Karachi, Lt-Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat, on June 10 in Clifton area.
They were booked under Sections 302, 324, 404, 34 PPC with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 Section 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act. Adnan Shah alias Tipu, Mohammad Qasim, Maaz, Shahab, Bilal, Tayyeb, Hammad and Fasih were declared absconders in the case.
Meanwhile, the special public prosecutor sought time to file reply on a miscellaneous application filed by defence counsel against jail authorities for violation of jail manual and keeping the accused in solitary confinement.
It was contented that the accused were kept in solitary confinement and they were not being allowed to say prayers with congregation. It was further submitted that due to solitary confinement, health of the accused deteriorated.
Khalid Khan Urshi, Mustafa Memon, Adnan Memon, Tajamul Lodhi, advocates, are representing the defence side.-PPI