ATC summons 10 cops as witnesses in Naqeebullah murder case

Petitioner’s lawyer withdraws plea to record petitioner’s statement through video link due to his death

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) summoned 10 police officials on Tuesday to record their statements in the Naqeebullah murder case while Advocate Salahuddin Panhwar withdrew the plea to record the petitioner’s statement through video link due to Muhammad Khan’s - Naqeebullah’s father - death. He was the petitioner of the case, which will now be argued by the state prosecutor.

ATC No. 3 heard the case at Karachi Central Jail. Former Malir SSP Rao Anwar, DSP Qamar and others appeared before the court. Jail officials produced the arrested accused before the court.

The hearing couldn’t proceed as all the lawyers weren’t present in court. The ATC issued notices to 10 police officials, summoning them before court to record their statements. The witnesses summoned include Inspector Mumtaz Ali Bugti, Inspector Hussain Bakhsh Solangi, Inspector Muhammad Haseeb Chandio, Inspector Ghulam Raza Soomro, Inspector Nasrullah, Inspector Muhammad Ali Mongrio, Inspector Ahsan Ahmed Channa, Sub-Inspector Amir Memon, ASI Muhammad Asif and Head Constable Muhammad Farooq. The court adjourned the hearing till December 16.

Witnesses summoned

Another ATC recorded the statement of a police official in the Intezar murder case and summoned more witnesses at the next hearing.

Intezar’s father, Ishtiaq Ahmed, and his counsel, advocate Salahuddin Panhwar, appeared before the court. Police official Shamsheer, who took the accused for identification of the site of the incident, recorded his statement before the court.

The ATC adjourned the hearing till December 16. Eight officials of the anti-car lifting cell (ACLC) police are arrested in the case.

Anti-encroachment protest case

Meanwhile, the administrative judge of the ATC sent five accused, arrested in the case pertaining to protests against the anti-encroachment drive in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, to jail on judicial remand. He heard the case at the Sindh High Court and transferred it to ATC No20.

The police produced five accused before the court. The investigation officer (IO) maintained that an anti-encroachment operation was being carried out by the city administration and Karachi Development Authority with the help of the police. The accused had set the police mobile on fire to demonstrate their resistance to the drive, he said, adding that several police officials were injured during the protest.

Amir Jamil, counsel for the accused, said that Feroze Mangi and the other accused have businesses in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. The accused are not connected with the attack on police or the entire incident, said the lawyer, adding that Mangi has a furniture shop.

Jamil argued that the shops of the accused are on lease but are being razed in the name of the anti-encroachment drive. The case was registered under Sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) but those Sections don’t apply to the accused, he argued.

The counsel prayed the court to remove the Sections of the ATA from the case. 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 4^th, 2019.