Wali babar case: Arrested suspects went missing say families

KARACHI: A two-member Sindh High Court (SHC) bench has adjourned till April 19 the hearing of two constitutional petitions connected to reporter Wali Babar’s murder case.

On Wednesday, Gulshan SSP and Sir Syed Town SHO among other police officials testified in court that they had arrested Faisal Mehmood and Muhammad Ali along with three other suspects from Gulshan-e-Iqbal on April 7.

The men then allegedly confessed to killing journalist Wali Mohammad Babar. However, two people, Zainab Iqbal and Tasleem Fatima, submitted separate petitions, saying that Faisal Mehmood and Muhammad Ali had gone missing at dates much before those of the arrests. Faisal Mehmood went to visit his aunt on January 19 and Muhammad Ali left his house on February 6. Both men have not been seen since these dates, the petitioners said. The court asked for further comments from the police and adjourned the hearing.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th,  2011.