Suleman Lashari murder case enters final stages

ATC records last witness statement, counsels to present final arguments

KARACHI:

The trial of the suspects accused of killing 18-year-old Suleman Lashari at his home in 2014 entered the final stages on Thursday, when the last witness presented by the prosecution recorded his statement.

An anti-terrorism court heard the case at the Karachi Central Jail. The counsels are to present their final arguments at the next hearing.

Accused Salman Abro was produced before the court, where witness Yaseen Jamali recorded his statement.

Jamali was the last on the list of witnesses submitted by the prosecution. Witnesses, Maqbool Ahmed and Imran Ali, had recorded statements at the last hearing.

O Levels student Sulaiman Lashari was gunned down on May 8, 2014 on the balcony of his home in Defence Housing Authority at around 2am when he was preparing for a Chemistry paper due a few hours later.

He was allegedly killed by the main accused in the case, Salman Abro, son of Sakrand Police Training Centre SSP Ghulam Sarwar Abro.

Abro had arrived at the victim’s home with five police constables to ‘settle’ an argument that had emanated from a car race a few days earlier, according to investigators. Sulaiman was killed in the shoot-out, while his brother Zeeshan and the guards deployed at their house retaliated and killed constable Zaheer Ahmed as well as injuring Abro.

Read More: Abducted girl murdered in Khanewal

Statement recorded

Meanwhile, another ATC recorded the statement of a witness to the murder of an under trial suspect at the Malir District Court.

The court directed the prosecution to produce another witness at the next hearing after the conclusion of cross-examination of the witness by the defence and the prosecution.

Police had produced Kifayatullah, accused of killing Khushdil Khan within the premises of the Malir District Court. Kfiyat has already confessed to the crime.

Illegal weapons case

Separately, an acquitted accused Nasir Ali Zaidi alias Shah Ji in cases pertaining to illegal arms and explosives. The court acquitted the accused stating that the evidence against him was insufficient.

The cases against Zaidi were lodged by the Counter Terrorism Department Police last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2021.