Chinese consulate in Karachi. PHOTO: AFP
The CTD in its report, admitting its failure to make a headway in the investigations, had asked the court to close the case file by declaring it A-class.
As the hearing of the case resumed, the judge told the CTD officials that their report clearly contradicted what the Karachi Police Chief Dr Amir Sheikh had claimed about the progress in the case during a press conference on Friday. A-class reports were only relevant to those cases in which the accused persons are unidentified or untraceable.
Dr Sheikh, on Friday, said that they had arrested five suspected militants for their involvement in the November 23 attack on the Chinese Consulate, while the CTD's A-class report, submitted to the court, claimed that no suspects have been arrested yet.
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The ATC judge told the CTD officials that since they had failed to trace the attackers they wanted the case to be declared as A-class. The judge told the investigation officer, Tasadduq Muneer of the CTD, to investigate the case, arrest the culprits and submit an updated and complete report on January 24. The court also directed the CTD's officials to submit a report on next hearing with relevant superintendent of police (SP's) name in the report.
The CTD, in its report, had declared that Aslam alias Achu, believed to be the mastermind of the attack on Chinese Consulate, could not be arrested.
CTD wants to close Chinese Consulate attack case
The Baloch nationalist leader Khair Bakhsh Mari's son Hurbeyar Mari was included in the names of accused in the report. Nominated accused include the names of Captain Rehman Gul, Commander Sheikhu, Commander Munshi, Commander Sherol and others. Four Kalashnikovs, two IAD bombs, detonator, hand grenades, bullets and explosive materials were recovered from attackers, the report had claimed.
Meanwhile, the administrative judge of the anti-terrorism ourts remanded the five facilitators of the attack on Chinese Consulate to physical custody of the police till January 17.
These five facilitators were presented before the Administrative Judge at Sindh High Court on Friday. Gulshan-e-Maymar Police presented the accused Ahmed Hasnain, Nadir Khan, Ali Ahmed, Abdul Lateef and Aslam in the case pertaining to the explosives and weapons act. Court inquired the accused that if they had been beaten up and whether they had met their families or not. The accused said that no they hadn't been beaten up but also didn't meet their families. The court ordered the investigation officer to facilitate the meeting of accused with their families.
According to FIR, on a hint provided by some informer about the presence of suspects involved in the attack on Chinese Consulate, the police party raided a plot near Sadiq Baloch Goth at Gulshan-e-Maymar and arrested the accused armed with weapons. Police said that the arrested accused facilitated the terrorists who carried out the attack on Chinese Consulate and got killed. Hand grenades, Kalashnikovs, TT pistols, explosive material, mobile phone and RPG rocket has been recovered from the accused.
Investigation officer requested the court for the physical remand of the accused as they would be needed for the arrest of other accused. Court remanded police the physical custody of the accused till January 17 over investigation officer's plea. Court ordered the investigation officer to submit the progress report on next hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2019.
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