Murder investigations: Court orders police to produce in handcuffs the IO in Zahra Shahid case
ATC judge expresses displeasure at investigation officer's laxity
Slain PTI leader Zahra Shahid Hussain. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) issued on Monday non-bailable warrants of arrest for the investigating officer (IO) in the murder case of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahra Shahid Hussain and directed a senior police officer to present him in handcuffs at the next hearing.
According to a court official, IO Rafiq Awan had failed to either appear before the court or present witnesses associated with the case at several hearings earlier. The ATC-VIII judge has ordered South zone's SP investigation to present the IO on April 19.
Hussain, a senior leader of PTI's women wing in Sindh, was gunned down outside her house in DHA Phase-IV on May 18, 2013, hours before re-polling in the NA-250 constituency where her party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were engaged in an intense electoral battle. The killing sparked unrest as PTI chief Imran Khan alleged that the rival MQM was behind the murder.
At present, the case has reached the evidence-presentation stage, and four suspects, identified as Zahid Abbas Zaidi, Rashid alias Tailor, Kaleem and Ifran alias Lamba, all workers of the MQM, have been charged with murder under anti-terrorism laws.
The prosecution maintains that it has sufficient evidence against the accused, all of whom have pleaded not guilty. The charge-sheet states that the suspects, in collusion with their absconding accomplices, identified as Junaid Bukhari, Tariq Nawaz and Asif alias Ganja, plotted Hussain's killing.
After conducting a brief recce of her movement, on the night of the incident the attackers followed Hussain from a club to her house and shot her dead as she disembarked from her car, the charge-sheet has alleged.
There are around 20 witnesses named in the charge-sheet, including Hussain's driver, and a number of them have been examined by the trial court.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2016.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) issued on Monday non-bailable warrants of arrest for the investigating officer (IO) in the murder case of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahra Shahid Hussain and directed a senior police officer to present him in handcuffs at the next hearing.
According to a court official, IO Rafiq Awan had failed to either appear before the court or present witnesses associated with the case at several hearings earlier. The ATC-VIII judge has ordered South zone's SP investigation to present the IO on April 19.
Hussain, a senior leader of PTI's women wing in Sindh, was gunned down outside her house in DHA Phase-IV on May 18, 2013, hours before re-polling in the NA-250 constituency where her party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were engaged in an intense electoral battle. The killing sparked unrest as PTI chief Imran Khan alleged that the rival MQM was behind the murder.
At present, the case has reached the evidence-presentation stage, and four suspects, identified as Zahid Abbas Zaidi, Rashid alias Tailor, Kaleem and Ifran alias Lamba, all workers of the MQM, have been charged with murder under anti-terrorism laws.
The prosecution maintains that it has sufficient evidence against the accused, all of whom have pleaded not guilty. The charge-sheet states that the suspects, in collusion with their absconding accomplices, identified as Junaid Bukhari, Tariq Nawaz and Asif alias Ganja, plotted Hussain's killing.
After conducting a brief recce of her movement, on the night of the incident the attackers followed Hussain from a club to her house and shot her dead as she disembarked from her car, the charge-sheet has alleged.
There are around 20 witnesses named in the charge-sheet, including Hussain's driver, and a number of them have been examined by the trial court.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 29th, 2016.