Extrajudicial killing: Court gives accused one day to arrange lawyers

ATC says it would assign legal aid itself if deadline not met.

A Karachi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday gave the seven accused in the Sarfaraz Shah murder case one more day to arrange lawyers to represent them.

This was the second time this week that the indictment had been delayed to allow the soldiers more time to engage lawyers.


The accused, including six rangers and one civilian, were produced before the court on Thursday where the judge directed the accused to arrange for lawyers. The court warned the accused that if they did not arrange for the lawyers, the court would arrange some lawyers itself.

It was expected that during Thursday’s hearing, charges would be framed against the accused. However, the case was adjourned till Friday when the accused requested more time to arrange for the lawyers. The court has given the accused a one day deadline to arrange for the lawyers.

Earlier, during Wednesday’s proceedings, copy of the Sarfaraz Shah murder case was filed in court. The accused were also given copies of the case, including statements made by the prosecution witnesses, during the proceedings on Wednesday. Inspector Bahaur Rahman, who is the most senior among the six accused, had asked the judge for an adjournment saying that their families were out of time and they needed time to engage lawyers. The judge had at first refused giving an adjournment saying that the Supreme Court had ordered a day-to-day trial.

The Anti-Terrorism Court started the proceedings in the Sarfaraz Shah murder case on Tuesday after receiving the case files from the registrar.

Members of Pakistan's Rangers paramilitary shot dead Sarfaraz Shah, 22, in Karachi on June 8 after he was accused of robbery, but his family has demanded justice, insisting he was an innocent student.

The daylight murder was filmed live by a local cameraman and subsequently broadcast round the clock on national television channels, the brutality of trained security officers in uniform shocking the country.

The six soldiers and a civilian, who accused Shah of robbery, were produced before judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso on Thursday, public prosecutor Mohammad Khan Buriro told reporters.

"The court gave the accused a last chance" to hire lawyers and adjourned the proceedings until Friday, he said. If they do not find lawyers, the court will assign them legal aid, he quoted the judge as telling the accused.

The indictment was previously adjourned on Wednesday for the same reason.

Faced with a media tirade over the killing, the government took the rare step of removing the chiefs of police and Rangers in Sindh province, of which Karachi is the capital.