Extrajudicial killing: Deadline expires, court assigns lawyer to accused

Retired Session Judge Abdul Mateen to represent the Rangers' official side, indictment expected on June 28.

KARACHI: A Karachi Anti-Terrorism Court on Friday assigned Retired Session Judge Abdul Mateen to represent the Rangers' officials side in the case of the murder of Sarfaraz Shah.

The hearings of the case had been repeatedly delayed on the the request of the accused who had asked for more time to arrange for lawyers. On Thursday, the court gave them a one-day deadline to arrange for lawyers, adding that the court would assign a lawyer itself if they failed to find any.

The seven accused in Sarfaraz Shah’s murder case, including six rangers and one civilian, were brought to the special court A in front of the Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso in Karachi . The Rangers told Justice Bashir Ahmed that they have failed to hire a lawyer to represent their case. On this, Justice Bashir Ahmed assigned Retired Session Judge Abdul Mateen to represent the rangers side.

Justice Ahmed then postponed the hearing till June 28  on which the court is expected to charge all of the accused in the case of extrajudicial killing.

Earlier, during Wednesday’s proceedings, copy of the Sarfaraz Shah murder case was filed in court. The accused were also given copies of the case, including statements made by the prosecution witnesses, during the proceedings on Wednesday. Inspector Bahaur Rahman, who is the most senior among the six accused, had asked the judge for an adjournment saying that their families were out of time and they needed time to engage lawyers. The judge had at first refused giving an adjournment saying that the Supreme Court had ordered a day-to-day trial.

The Anti-Terrorism Court started the proceedings in the Sarfaraz Shah murder case on Tuesday after receiving the case files from the registrar.

Members of Pakistan’s Rangers paramilitary shot dead Sarfaraz Shah, 22, in Karachi on June 8 after he was accused of robbery, but his family has demanded justice, insisting he was an innocent student.

The daylight murder was filmed live by a local cameraman and subsequently broadcast round the clock on national television channels, the brutality of trained security officers in uniform shocking the country.