The video showing the Sarfraz Shah murder on June 8 was screened before the Anti-Terrorism Court (I) headed by Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso here on Monday.
The footage, two minutes and two seconds long, certified as original, unedited and unchanged, left the courtroom sombre.
An engineer with the Pakistan Television Karachi centre, Shakeel Ahmed Shaikh, was questioned by Special Public Prosecutor Muhammad Khan Buriro. Shaikh was summoned by his general manager who asked him to examine the DVR and give an opinion. He unsealed the packet, examined the DVR along with three other technical staffers and “found [it] to be original, unedited and without any addition or deletion”. They issued a jointly signed certificate to this effect and handed it over to the investigating team headed by DIG West Sultan Ahmed Khawaja.
After the video was screened, Shaikh was cross-examined by a defence lawyer. He told the court that he had been authorised by the ministry to edit films for PTV and had the technical know-how. He rejected the suggestion that he was biased and was giving a statement under pressure from the authorities.
Later, Boat Basin Inspector Muhammad Mubeen told the court about the preparation of a memo of inspection of the scene of the crime by the investigating officer and his team, the recovery of the DVR, the arrests of four officials of the Abdullah Shah Ghazi Rangers and the recovery of the toy pistol, arms used by the accused Rangers personnel. His cross-examination was reserved till Tuesday afternoon when the court will resume the hearing. The case property was also produced before the court by prosecution witness Inpsector Mubeen.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2011.
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