Hamza murder case: Suspect presented before medical board

Shoaib’s family provided his birth and school leaving certificates.

KARACHI: A seven-member medical board constituted by the Sindh Health Department to determine the age of the suspect in Hamza murder case, Shoaib Naveed Ahmed, has reserved its examination report and will issue it on Thursday.

Shoaib was presented before the board at the Sindh Government Services Hospital for several tests and X-rays. The board is headed by Prof. Farhat Mirza, head of forensic medicine at the Dow University of Health Sciences. Former Sindh police surgeon, Dr Hamid Padhiar, Dr Qamarul Islam, Dr Shakir, Dr Ateeq, Dr Muzaffar Siddiqui and Dr Taufeeq Ahmed are the other members of the board.

Talking to The Express Tribune, one of the members said that experts have examined the suspect and taken X-rays of his teeth and other body parts, including bones and joints.

Shoaib’s family provided his birth certificate and school leaving certificate which said the suspect was born on May 21, 1996. “Often certificates carry the wrong dates and that’s why we cannot rely on them,” a board member said. “This is why we have conducted the tests.”



Another expert told The Express Tribune that Shoaib weighs over 110 kilogrammes and apparently looks around 18 years old but it would be premature to say anything about his age before the report is issued. “The purpose of constituting a board is to take everyone’s opinion, not just an individual’s,” he explained. “Today we have conducted the tests and tomorrow [Wednesday] we will give our opinion.” The sealed report will be handed over to the investigation officer on Monday which would be then presented in the court.

A police officer, on the other hand, said that the accused Shoaib would benefit if the board declares him underage. He also said that Shoaib cannot be tried in the Anti-Terrorism Court because the FIR did not contain any sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Efforts to arrest Shoaib’s security guard were being made and it is likely that his name would be placed on the exit control list soon, he added.

Meanwhile, DIG South Ameer Shaikh has constituted a new investigation team with SP Clifton Sarfaraz Nawaz, DSP Darakhsan Azam Baloch, SHO Darakshan Ahsan Zulfikar, SIO Haleem Kolachi and others.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2013.