Defence wants taxi driver case out of ATC

The police have stated in the charge-sheet that it was an ‘accidental’ murder.

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) issued notice on Tuesday to the prosecution on an application moved by the defence counsel seeking a transfer of taxi driver murder case against a paramilitary soldier to a sessions court. 

Earlier, Lance Naiks, Ghulam Rasool, Barkat Ali, and sepoys, Waqar Ahmed and Qadeer Abbas, of Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of taxi driver Mureed Ali alias Murad Ali, who was gunned down in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on July 16.

The police submitted a charge-sheet against Rasool while the remaining three have been released as the police found no concrete evidence against them. After accepting the charge-sheet, Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso of the ATC-I had adjourned the hearing for indictment. On Tuesday, the suspect, however, couldn’t be indicted as the defence counsel moved the application for the transfer of the case. They said the case may be transferred to an ordinary court as the police have stated that it was an ‘accidental’ murder.

In the charge sheet, the police said that it was an unintentional murder as Rasool had tried to stop the taxi driver by opening fire on the tyre of his vehicle, however, the driver was killed in the firing.

After inspecting the place of the incident, examining the evidence and recording the statements of witnesses, the police said it was an accidental and unintentional murder.

The police also stated that the sections of the Anti-Terror law were inserted in the case after the Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice on July 26 and ruled that the suspects should be put on trial under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

According to the prosecutor, the complainant of the case, who is the widow of the deceased taxi driver, said that her husband was accidently killed and she would not appear in any court to depose against the Rangers as she had forgiven them and was willing to withdraw the case. The Rangers had paid her over Rs2 million as compensation, gave her employment and are bearing the expenses of her two children.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2013.