Rangers killing: ATC to conclude trial in 7 days

CJ Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had ordered the case proceedings to be completed without any delay:

Special public prosecutor Muhammad Khan Baror, on Monday, said the anti-terrorism court (ATC) will wrap up the proceedings of Sarfaraz Shah’s murder case within seven days.

Talking to Express News, Baror said Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had ordered the case proceedings to be completed without any delay, while Baror stressed that the ATC will complete the proceedings of the case within seven days.

Baror said that investigations against the Rangers personnel have been completed and that the accused are free to hire the services of a lawyer for their defence - as it is their constitutional right.

Earlier, according to a report in the Express Tribune, it was found that the two cases registered against Sarfaraz had been proven false.

A senior investigator had said that the police are going to nominate sub-inspector Baharuddin and a civilian, Afsar Khan — the complainants of the two FIRs lodged against the victim — in two more cases. The police are planning on going to the apex court to remove the cases against Shah and reverse them against the complainants.

Shortly after the incident, two cases were registered at Boat Basin police station. In FIR No. 225/11, Afsar Khan had said that Shah was trying to rob a man named Alam Zaib and his family and, in FIR No. 226/11, Baharuddin said that Shah had an illegal weapon.

It had been confirmed that both these cases are false, said a senior officer, requesting anonymity. “We are neither empowered to drop these cases nor can we lodge cases against the two complainants,” he told The Express Tribune.

“We will request the court to declare the two cases against Shah as ‘B’ class and dismiss them. In fact, the complainants must be charged for recording false testimonies in order to prove that Shah was a robber.”