Taxi driver murder: Rangers personnel challenges ATC’s jurisdiction to try him

ATC had earlier dismissed his application to transfer case to sessions court.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Thursday notice to the prosecutor general on an application filed by a Rangers personnel charged with spreading terror in society by murdering an unarmed taxi driver, against his trial by the anti-terrorism court.

Lance Naik Ghulam Rasool approached the high court against the decision of the ATC-I, which had dismissed his application to transfer his trial to the sessions court. The police had arrested the Lance Naiks, Ghulam Rasool and Barkat Ali, and sepoys Waqar Ahmed and Qadeer Abbas, for their alleged involvement in the killing of the taxi driver, Murid Abbas, who was gunned down in Gulistan-e-Jauhar on July 16, 2013.

Later, investigators submitted a charge-sheet before the trial court against Rasool only, saying he killed the driver accidentally and unintentionally in an attempt to stop the taxi driver by opening fire at the tyre of his vehicle.

Advocate Shaukat Hayat, who represented the accused, argued that the act allegedly committed by his client is not an act of terrorism. He argued that the police had inserted section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 after the then chief justice of Pakistan took notice of the incident. The lawyer argued it is the requirement of the law that the investigations should be conducted in a fair and transparent manner. Headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, the bench issued notice to the Sindh prosecutor general to file the comments. The next date of hearing would be later notified by the office.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2014.