In custody: ATC indicts six suspected militants

The accused were earlier arrested for possessing explosives during a raid.

PESHAWAR:

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday indicted six suspected militants in a case pertaining to possession of explosives and sought the presence of all witnesses in the next hearing on Saturday.

ATC judge Asghar Ali Shah was told suspected militants Roohullah, Zubair Ullah, Irfanullah, Qateerullah, Ashfaq Ahmad and a woman identified as Muntazera were arrested on May 25 after the police recovered an eight-kilogramme bomb along with a bag containing seven kgs of explosives during a raid on a house in Chamkani. Police claimed the family was involved in several bomb blasts in the area.



The next day, the suspects were produced before the court of ATC Judge Anwar Hussain, who gave the men in police custody for a five-day physical remand while the woman was sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand. In the hearing on May 30, the five men were produced before the court of Judicial Magistrate Ilyas Khan, who later sent them on judicial remand to Central Prison Peshawar.



On July 2, all the alleged militants were produced before Peshawar High Court judge Justice Shahjahan Akhunzada who turned down their bail request. The court then directed the charge-sheet of the case be completed within three days and the case to be concluded in a week. During Thursday’s hearing, ATC judge Asghar Ali Shah indicted all arrested suspects and adjourned the hearing till Saturday.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 16^th, 2013.