Freed: Bhatti murder suspect cleared of charge

Special Judge ATC-II Rana Massod released Abid Malik after testimony by a close relative of the deceased minister.

RAWALPINDI:

Another suspect arrested for an alleged role in the murder of former Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti has been released by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) here on Wednesday.

Special Judge ATC-II Rana Massod Akhtar released Abid Malik after testimony by a close relative of the deceased minister. According to investigators, the minister’s family had alleged that Malik along with another man had been involved in the murder, and cited property issues as a reason behind it.

However Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, the relative in question, informed the court that the family had neither suspected Malik’s involvement in the murder nor had nominated his name in the case. Chaudhry claimed that the police themselves had implicated Malik in the case.

Allegations against Malik had already been in doubt after SHO Industrial Area Police Rukhsar Mehdi had on Tuesday submitted a report before the court stating that the police, after seven days of interrogation had found no link between Malik and any militant organisation. Police added that they had checked relevant records and discovered that the suspect was present in Singapore on the day of the murder.

Malik had been arrested on February 14 from the Lahore Airport after his return from Dubai. The investigators had previously declared him an absconder of law along with another suspect, Ziaur Rehman, after warrants for their arrest were obtained from the ATC on August 29 last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2012.