In court: ATC seeks Waqas Shah’s medico-legal record

Shah, 25, was killed during a protest against Rangers at Nine Zero

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) directed on Tuesday a medico-legal officer at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital to appear at the next hearing with the post-mortem record of a young worker of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) who was shot dead in the March 11, 2015, raid at the party headquarters, Nine Zero.

Shah, 25, was killed in a mysterious firing incident during a protest against the Rangers for conducting the raid and taking into custody a top leader and number of party workers.

ATC-IX judge Farman Ali Kanasro issued directions after the MLO, Abid Haroon, appeared to record his statement in connection with the case. Haroon is the same doctor who examined and presided over the post-mortem of the deceased party worker.



Shah suffered a single bullet which hit his cheekbone and pierced through his back. The MQM claims that a Rangers soldier killed him. However, the paramilitary force refutes the allegation.

Soon after the killing, some videos were aired by different news channels in which Shah was seen amid the protesters as they advanced towards the paramilitary soldiers. Meanwhile, a paramilitary soldier, who stands atop a vehicle, resorts to aerial firing. Seconds later, another gunshot is heard and the victim is seen lying on the floor.

During the hearing, the statement of the MLO could not be recorded due to unavailability of post-mortem and other reports of the victim. The judge directed the doctor to bring the relevant record on the next hearing of the case on March 3 so the case could proceed further.

At the time of charge-sheeting, the police had produced a list of 14 witnesses and the court has already examined a number of them. On previous hearings, three paramilitary officials testified and deposed against the suspect, Syed Asif Ali, held for the murder.

Ali is also a worker of the MQM and is the same guy who was seen standing beside Shah before his killing. According to the prosecution, the suspect had fled from the city after the commission of the offence and was nabbed three months later in an intelligence-based raid in a remote part of the province. The investigators claim that the weapon used in the crime has been recovered from a stream on a lead given by the arrested suspect during initial interrogation.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th,  2016.