ATC summons witnesses in Police Lines blast case

PESHAWAR:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Peshawar has summoned prosecution witnesses in the Police Lines bombing case, with the next hearing scheduled for August 26.

According to the prosecution, a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque at the Peshawar Police Lines on January 30, 2023, killing more than 80 people, most of them police personnel, and leaving over 200 others injured. The attack, one of the deadliest in the provincial capital, sent shockwaves across the country and highlighted vulnerabilities in security at sensitive installations.

The prosecution informed the court on Saturday that investigations had been completed and the challan finalized, paving the way for trial proceedings. During the hearing, the public prosecutor requested the court to summon all prosecution witnesses. The court accepted the request and directed their appearance on the next date of hearing.

Eight suspects have been nominated in the case, including police Constable Wali Muhammad, who remains in custody following the conclusion of investigations against him. Authorities have termed the case a key test in holding those responsible for the devastating bombing to account.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, an accountability court in Peshawar heard the Kohistan financial scandal case involving the National Bank of Pakistan's Dassu branch. The bank's branch manager, Zahoor Ahmed, was produced before Accountability Court Judge Ali Gohar, who ordered his transfer to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.

According to the investigating officer, Ahmed, while serving as branch manager, allegedly established a private construction firm in his brother's name and funneled around Rs1 billion from the national exchequer into its account.

The defense argued that Ahmed had already completed 14 days of physical remand and could not legally be kept in custody any longer. After hearing both sides, the court ruled that the suspect be sent to jail.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is probing the wider Kohistan scandal, said to involve billions of rupees, with multiple arrests already made and investigations continuing against politicians, government officials, and contractors.