MPA held for PTI leader’s murder denied bail

The lawmaker’s defence counsel has moved an application for bail at an anti-terrorism court

HARIPUR:

A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) has rejected the bail plea of MPA Faisal Zaman, the prime suspect in the murder case of PTI leader Malik Tahir Iqbal and his friend ex-councillor Gul Nawaz.

Police have yet to arrest the remaining three suspects. A hired gun, Sher Zaman Ghazi had confessed before Civil Judge Shahid Hameed in December that Zaman had paid him Rs2 million to kill Iqbal.

MPA Zaman was finally arrested on January 12, when he came to the Hazara ATC for the extension of his transit bail. The lawmaker’s defence counsel has moved an application for bail at the ATC. However, ATC judge Aurangzeb Khattak has rejected the bail plea of Zaman.

Fazal Haq Abbasi Advocate and Atif Jadoon Advocate are proceeding on behalf of the accused while the Rizwan Abbasi Advocate and Waqar Khan Advocate from Islamabad are representing the prosecution for the case.

The three other accused named in the murder case are Farmanullah, a close associate of MPA Faisal Zaman, and his three personal employees Alam Zeb Hazoor, Raza Mohammad and Tanveer Ahmed. The arrests for the absconding accused have not been made even after two months, while ATC has declared all four suspects as fugitives.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also started investigations against MPA Zaman.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2021.