Accused withdraws plea seeking to summon doctors

Defence counsel will cross-examine IO on February 2 in Noor case

ISLAMABAD:

The counsel for Therapy Works withdrew a plea seeking to summon three doctors of the PIMS as witnesses to testify in the Noor Muqqadam murder case.

Counsel Akram Qureshi and Zain Rehmat Qureshi had filed a petition on behalf of Therapy Works employee and co-accused Amjad, demanding that three doctors of PIMS, Dr Asba Rashid, Dr Tahir and Dr Farrukh, who had provided medical help to Amjad, who was injured on July 20, 2021, should also be summoned to court to record their statements.

During the last three hearing, the plea could not be taken up and now Therapy Works has withdrawn the plea.

Additional Sessions Judge Ata Rabbani issued a written order after hearing of the case, stating that since the Therapy Works did not press the application, the court is disposing of the same.

On the other hand, the court also disposed of the request of the prosecution to play the hard disk of the CCTV footage of the Noor murder. The petition was filed by Public Prosecutor Hassan Abbas.

The court in its written order said since the petition has become ineffective, it is disposed of because the CCTV hard disk was played in the courtroom even before the arguments on the petition had started.

On the other hand, Therapy Work lawyer Shehzad Qureshi and accused Ismat Adam's lawyer Asad Jamal will cross-examine the statement of investigating officer (IO) Abdul Sattar Khan on February 2.

Further hearing of the case will be held on February 2.

Read: "Unqualified practitioners continue to exploit patients"

Published in The Express Tribune, February 1^st, 2022.