Sarfraz shah murder: Senior lawyer to represent two defendants

Of the seven accused, only sepoy Tariq now remains unrepresentated.

KARACHI:

Senior lawyer Shaukat Hayat advocate a filed a vakalatnama (power of attorney) on Tuesday on behalf of the two main suspects, Shahid Zafar and Muhammad Afzal, in the Sarfaraz Shah murder case being tried at the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC-I).

Earlier, the indictment was once again deferred till Wednesday as the ATC-I presiding officer reported sick.

All seven accused men were brought to the court on Tuesday but were returned after the proceedings were adjourned. Now only one sepoy, Tariq, remains unrepresented. According to the Anti-Terrorism Act, the case cannot proceed until all the accused are represented by a defence lawyer of their choice.

Twenty-two-year-old Sarfraz was shot dead in Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park off Boat Basin on June 8 when a civilian handed him over to the Rangers after accusing him of stealing mobile phones.

The high-profile case saw the intervention of the Supreme Court that subsequently ordered the transfers of the  Rangers and police chiefs.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2011.