SHC seeks sessions court's report on trial of CTD officials

Officials are accused of abducting two suspects nominated in airport attack case

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought on Monday a report from the district and sessions judge concerned on the trial of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials over the alleged kidnapping of two accused nominated in the Karachi airport attack case.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, directed the trial court to send such report by February 26.

The bench was hearing a petition seeking the whereabouts of Sarmad Siddiqui and Nadeem alias Burger alias Mullah, who were charged with providing logistical support, funds and weapons to around 10 attackers who stormed the airport in June 2014 and were killed in the aftermath operation.

Siddiqui and Nadeem, along with third suspect Asif Zaheer, had been granted bail by Karachi's Anti-Terrorism Court-VI against surety bonds of Rs1 million for each.

The court was informed that the CTD officials had earlier kidnapped Siddiqui and Nadeem, and an FIR was lodged against them in the light of inquiry conducted by the CTD DIG. However, the suspects, later, also kidnapped Nadeem's brother and received a huge sum for his release, the court was informed.



Therefore, the SHC was pleaded to order registration of another kidnapping case against the CTD officials. The court was also requested to call the report on the trial of the CTD officials in the earlier kidnapping case.

The bench directed the trial court concerned to submit its report on the trial by February 26.

Siddiqui and Nadeem were arrested in October 2014. In August last year, a sessions court acquitted them in another case pertaining to engaging in a shoot-out with police near Saddar at the time of their arrest.

According to the prosecution, around 10 heavily armed militants stormed Karachi airport on the night of June 8, 2014 and were killed by army commandos and personnel of other security forces during an operation lasting about five hours.

Around 25 people, including personnel of the Airport Security Force, police and Rangers, were killed in the airport attack. The police claimed that the suspects belonged to alQaeda and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

 

Missing persons case

Meanwhile, the same bench issued notices to the provincial chiefs of police and Rangers, and others on a petition seeking whereabouts of two citizens allegedly missing for the last two months.



The judges directed the respondents to submit their reports on the whereabouts of the alleged missing persons by March 1.

The SHC was informed that Rangers personnel had taken Shakil Ahmed and Nadeem into their custody on November 20, 2017. Their relatives alleged that the law enforcers were not disclosing whereabouts of the missing men despite the lapse of two months. They apprehended that the missing persons might be killed in extrajudicial manner.

Claiming that both of them were not involved in any criminal activity, the petitioners pleaded to the court to direct the inspector-general of police, Rangers director-general and others to locate whereabouts of the missing persons. A direction was also sought for them to produce the missing men in the court of law.