KARACHI, May 27 Four more police officials appeared before a sessions court on Wednesday and testified as prosecution witnesses in the Murtaza Bhutto murder case.
The first prosecution witness, Inspector Irfan Ahmed, appeared in court and testified that he was posted at the Kharadar police station as additional SHO and on Sept 20, 1996 he came to know about an encounter near Clifton in which many policemen suffered injuries.
He said as he reached the spot a number of police officials were present there and the then SHO Darakhshan, Shahnawaz, was collecting the weapons from the place of incident.
He deposed that SHO Shahnawaz prepared a memo of recovery, but he did not play any role and remained there as an observer.
He concluded that the investigation officer did not record his statement under Section 161 of the criminal procedure code.
However, in the cross-examination, the witness was shown the copy of the memo and the defence asked him whether the said document was written by him. Upon which, the witness admitted that he wrote the memo on the dictation of SHO Shahnawaz.
The second witness, Sub-Inspector Islam-ud-Din, said in his statement that on Sept 20, 1996 he was posted at the Darakhshan police station as an assistant sub-inspector, adding that he along with the SHO and other policemen went to Clifton where the incident took place.
He stated that on the directives of his superiors, he arrested some accused lying on the spot and handed them over to the investigation branch.
He added that the IO recorded his statement under Section 161 of the CrPC.
In his cross-examination, the defence counsel asked him if the police registered cases against the arrested persons under Section 13-D of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance, 1965. However, the witness said that he had no information about it.
In response to another question, he stated that it was correct to suggest that he did not know the police officials present at the place of incident as he had been posted at the Darakhshan police station just a year before the incident.
Inspector Farooq deposed that he was posted at the Defence police station as head-constable at the time of the incident.
He deposed that a sub-machine gun along with bullets were issued to Police Constable Ahmed Khan, the gunman of then ASP Shahid Hayat, but he returned 30 bullets fewer to the police station.
He was also crossed-examined by the defence counsel who asked him whether he produced the record regarding the issuance of arms and ammunition before the investigation officer. The witness replied in the affirmative.
The last prosecution witness of the day, Sub-Inspector Azhar Iqbal, testified that he was posted as ASI in Sept 1996 and he had assisted other police officials in handing over the case property to the section concerned.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (east) Aftab Ahmed directed the special public prosecutor during the proceedings to examine only relevant witnesses and not those who were merely confirming the date of the incident and wasting the court's time. The hearing was adjourned till June 11.
Mir Murtaza Bhutto, the chief of Shaheed Bhutto faction of the Pakistan People's Party, his close aide Ashique Jatoi, and his six comrades were shot dead in an alleged police encounter near his Clifton residence on Sept 20, 1996.
Shoaib Suddle, Wajid Durrani, Masood Sharif, Shahid Hayat, Rai Mohammed Tahir, Shabbir Ahmed Qaimkhani, Agha Mohammed Jameel and other policemen are facing trial in the case. President Asif Ali Zardar was also one of the accused in the case but the court acquitted him for want of evidence.
PW testifies in designer's murder case
An additional district and sessions judge (south) recorded on Wednesday the testimony of a prosecution witness in the fashion designer's murder case.
The bullet-riddled body of the fashion designer, Sheikh Amir Hassan, was found in the small hours of Aug 30, 2008 in his DHA, Phase V residence.
The prosecution witness, Sub-Inspector Tariq, appeared before Judge Abdul Naeem Memon and deposed that he arrested two accused, Ameer Hamza and his younger brother, Mohammad Saad Farooq, near Zamzama Park in Clifton on Sept 3, 2008 and during the interrogation they confessed to their involvement in the victim's murder.
He deposed that the deceased had received a last call from a subscriber identity module (SIM) recovered from the possession of the accused, adding that the weapon used in the crime was also recovered on a lead provided by the accused.
The court adjourned the hearing till May 29.
A case (FIR 215/08) was registered under Section 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Clifton police station on the complaint of the deceased's brother, Jalal Hussain.
'Militants' sent to jail
Two suspected militants were on Wednesday sent to prison on judicial remand till June 4 by a judicial magistrate (west).
The court directed the investigation officer of the case to submit a charge-sheet against the suspect on the next date of hearing.
The CID police arrested Amjad Zamir alias Musarrat and Mohammed Asim alias Tipu Sultan near Hawkesbay following a shootout on May 21.
The police claimed to have recovered a suicide jacket and a large quantity of weapons and explosive material from the possession of the suspects.
A number of cases were registered against the suspects under Sections 353, 324 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 13-D of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance, 1965 and Sections 4 and 5 of The Explosive Substances Act, 1908.