Shahzeb Khan murder case: State counsel grills two defence witnesses at ATC

Shahrukh’s brother claims that he was in contact with the suspect at the time of the murder.

KARACHI: The state counsel grilled two defence witnesses, including the brother of the prime suspect in the Shahzeb Khan murder case, at the Anti-Terrorism Court on Friday. 

Shahrukh Jatoi, Nawab Siraj Ali Talpur, his younger brother Nawab Sajjad Ali Talpur, and a servant, Ghulam Murtaza Lashari, have been charged with killing 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan on December 24, 2012 in the Defence Housing Authority.

The defence counsel produced two witnesses - Shahrukh’s brother, Ashraf Ali Jatoi, and Izharul Haq - who recorded their testimonies before the ATC-III Judge, Ghulam Mustafa Memon, who is conducting the trial on a day-to-day basis.

According to Abdul Maroof, the in-charge deputy district public prosecutor for the state, Ashraf told the court that he and his uncle, Ghulam Akbar Jatoi, had left for the airport at 9pm to catch their flight for Singapore on December 24. According to the witness, Shahrukh was with them when they left for the airport.



Ashraf had told the court that they reached the airport at 9:45pm and Shahrukh was with them till the departure of flight, which was scheduled to leave at 12:35am on December 25, said the public prosecutor.

The defence counsel, however, couldn’t produce CCTV footage, boarding passes or any other documents to support the witness’s statement, stated the prosecutor.

Out of sight

During cross-examination by the prosecutor, Ashraf contended that it was correct to suggest that he lost visual contact with Shahrukh after they entered the departure lounge at 10pm. Ashraf, however, claimed that they were in contact with Shahrukh through their driver’s mobile phone till the time the flight took off.

No cell phone data, however, was produced to support the claim in the court, said the proseuctor.

He asked Ashraf whether he was aware of the quarrel that allegedly took place between the suspects and Shahzeb at 12:15am on December 25. “It was not in my knowledge,” replied Ashraf. He also denied the prosecutor’s claim that he was trying to save his brother by giving a false testimony.

The vehicle in question

The defence counsel then claimed that the vehicle allegedly used in the crime could not have been impounded from the plot that the police have named as there was no space for parking due to the installation of heavy machinery.

To support the argument, the counsel produced the second witness, Izharul Haq, who told the court that he used to park his vehicle at the plot, No. 5-C, street 10 of Badar Commercial Area, DHA. He claimed that there was no space to park a car between December 18 and January 15 due to the machinery installed at the plot.

The public prosecutor asked the witness to show his CNIC, which revealed that Haq’s temporary and permanent address was in North Nazimabad. The witness claimed that he was living on rent for the last three to four years but no rental agreement was produced to maintain the claim, concluded the prosecutor.

On Thursday, the father of the Talpur brothers, Imdad Ali Talpur, had told the court that his sons were studying at home and they were falsely implicated in Shahzeb murder case.

The defence counsel will present more witnesses in the suspects’ defence in next hearing. The case was put off till next hearing.

Murder weapon’s authenticity challenged

The Sindh prosecutor general’s reply has been sought on the plea seeking chemical and ballistics examination of the weapon - allegedly used in the Shahzeb Khan murder case - from any other province than Sindh and also to verify its registration through the interior ministry.

Kamal Azfar, the lawyer defending the prime suspect Shahrukh Jatoi, sought direction for the trail court to summon witness of Sindh’s forensic division for recording evidence and ascertaining the weapon’s registration number after dismantling it.

He also sought direction for the interior ministry to establish registration of the weapon which along with empties should also be examined in any other province. Headed by Justice Maqbool Baqar, the bench issued notice to Sindh’s prosecutor general to file his comments by May 9.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2013.