Too late: ATC returns reinvestigation report of Hamza’s murder

The court adjourned the hearing till Jan 22 and returned the report to police.

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) returned on Thursday the reinvestigation report of Hamza Ahmed’s murder case to the police saying that it was submitted after the deadline.

The Sindh High Court had given 30 days to the police to conduct a reinvestigation into the case and submit its report before the ATC. When DSP Manthar Ali Bhayo submitted the reinvestigation report before the ATC-III on Thursday, the court remarked that the report cannot be accepted as it was submitted late.

In its remarks, the court said the police failed to submit its report on time so now it should take instructions from the SHC to submit the report.

Hamza Ahmed, a 17-year-old student, was gunned down allegedly by a security guard of another teenager, Shoaib Naveed, after they got into a heated argument outside a restaurant in Defence Housing Authority on April 27, last year.



The special public prosecutor, Abdul Maroof, requested the courts accept the report. He said that the police have submitted an application about delay in the SHC but the application was pending before the high court. The court adjourned the hearing to January 22 and returned the report to police with directions to take orders from the high court before submitting it in court.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.