ATC indicts TLP workers for vandalism

Reserves verdict over objection on provision of photo copies of documents in Naqeebullah murder case

KARACHI:

A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) issued on Tuesday indictment to five workers of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) accused of rioting and vandalism.

Police presented the arrested party activists, Jabbar, Tariq, Irfan, Rehmat and Ali before the court during a hearing at Karachi Central Jail.

The accused pleaded not guilty and claimed the charges against them were false. Upon the accused's denial of the charges, the court issued notices to the investigation officer (IO) and witnesses, summoning them on the next hearing on July 26.

Read More: Rawalpindi police arrest 50 more for vandalism

According to the prosecution, the TLP workers had been arrested by Docks Police Station for their alleged involvement in rioting and vandalism.

Naqeebullah murder case

Separately, an ATC reserved the verdict over the plea seeking approval of photocopied documents in Naqeebullah murder case.

At the outset of the hearing, the counsel representing the complainant, Advocate Salahuddin Panhwar gave arguments over the approval of photocopied documents.

Maintaining that the original documents were misplaced, the counsel requested the court to include the photocopy of the documents in records.

At this, accused former Malir SSP Rao Anwar's counsel Advocate Amir Mansoob referred to Supreme Court's verdicts and argued that the photocopied documents cannot be made a part of records since they can be tampered.

How would the court know if the photocopies are really the duplicates of the original documents or not, contended Advocate Mansoob.

The court reserved the verdict after the completion of arguments and directed the witnesses to appear before the court on the next hearing.

Former Malir SSP Anwar, DSP Qamar and co-accused others were present at the hearing. The reserved verdict is expected to be announced on the next hearing on July 8.

The defence lawyers had raised objections over the submission of photocopies of the sought documents by the prosecution, on the last hearing.

Arshad Pappu murder case

Moreover, an ATC granted extension to the special public prosecutor to prepare the witnesses for recording statements in the case, pertaining to murder of Arshad Pappu and two others, against Lyari gangster Uzair Baloch. Baloch and co-accused others were presented before the court during the hearing. The special public prosecutor pleaded to the court to grant extension for preparing the witnesses. Over which, the court accepted the request and adjourned the hearing till July 16.

According to the prosecution, Baloch, a former Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Shahjahan Baloch, former SHO Chand Khan Niazi and others are accused of murdering three men including Pappu.

The accused have already been indicted in the case, which was registered at Kalakot Police Station in 2013.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2021.