Court acquits 13 accused of violating prayer restrictions

ATC sends accused in terrorists' facilitation case on four-day physical remand

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) acquitted on Saturday 13 persons, including a prayer leader, accused of violating the restrictions on Friday prayers and attacking police officials outside Ghousia Mosque in Liaquatabad.

The acquittal was granted following the submission of a report on Section 173 of the Pakistan Penal Code, pertaining to preventing a summons, notice or order by a public servant.

Case challans, nominating two persons whose faces were clearly visible in the video of the incident, were also presented before the court.



The court then acquitted the accused, including prayer leader Maulana Raheem Dad, Kamran Jalal, Salman, Sohail Khan, Najam Asghar, Iqbal and other, six of whom had already acquired bails.

According to the police, the accused had put people's lives at risk by allowing them to gather for Friday prayers and also provoked them to attack police officials with sticks and rods. In the ensuing melee, three police officials were injured and the windows of multiple government-owned cars were broken.

Remanded

Separately, the administrative judge of an ATC handed over accused Asad Qureshi, booked in a case of providing financial assistance to terrorists, to counter-terrorism department officials on a four-day physical remand.

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The investigation officer (IO) informed the court that Qureshi was involved in providing financial assistance to banned outfits, which then used that money for terrorist activities. He requested the court to grant the physical remand of the accused for further interrogation.

Accepting the IO's request, the court sent the accused on a four-day physical remand and ordered the IO to submit a progress report at the next hearing.

Terrorists' facilitation case

In another case pertaining to the medical facilitation of terrorists, the court directed relevant authorities to ensure the attendance of the witness at the next hearing.

It then adjourned the hearing till June 6, due to the witness' absence.

Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, Anis Kaimkhani, Rauf Siddiqui, Qadir Patel, Dr Asim Hussain and Usman Muazzam have been nominated in the case.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2020.