PESHAWAR, Feb 15: A local anti-terrorism court on Friday granted bail to a suspected militant charged with killing a female vaccination supervisor and her driver in Charsadda district in Dec last year.
Judge Asghar Ali Shah accepted the bail petition of the suspect, Darvesh Khan, and directed him to furnish two surety bonds valuing Rs100,000 each for release.
The female vaccination supervisor, Zakia, a resident of Battagram in Charsadda district, and her driver Mohammad Ayaz, were attacked by unidentified gunmen in Tarkha area of Charsadda on Dec 19, 2012, on the second day of an anti-polio vaccination drive.Both of them later died leading to suspension of vaccination drive by the government.
A day earlier, another female vaccinator was killed in Peshawar, while a male member of the vaccination team was attacked and killed on Dec 19. Cases of the said occurrences were registered under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 and somesections of Pakistan Penal Code.
Later, local police claimed to have arrested the suspect, Darvesh Khan, on Dec 23.
Police claimed that he had made confession, first before police and then before a judicial magistrate.
In the said confession, the accused had claimed that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had given Rs25,000 each to him and two other suspects, Khaista Rehman and Madullah, for killing the female supervisor.
In the said statement, he had stated that the other two suspects had reached the place of the attack ahead of him and while he was on the way, they had already attacked and killed the woman and her driver.
Kifayatullah Shahabkhel, lawyer for the petitioner, said he was arrested on Dec 19, on the day of occurrence, and after keeping him in illegal detention for five days, police showed his arrest on record.
He said the confessional statement attributed to the applicant was made under duress and coercion as he was tortured during custody.
Mr Shahabkhel said the statements attributed to the applicant given to the police and the magistrate were conflicting.
He added that the ‘confession’ of the applicant was exculpatory as he had named other persons as attackers in the case and not himself.
He added that except the conflicting confessions the police could not produce any other evidence and had also not recovered the weapon used in the offence.