No evidence: ATC acquits Shahid Bikik in murder case of Zardari’s security officer

Police had previously claimed they had sufficient evidence to indict Bikik in the case.

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) ordered on Wednesday to release a suspect in a case pertaining to the murder of the security officer of former president, Asif Ali Zardari.

The ATC-III discharged the suspect, Shahid Bikik, in connection with the murder of the former president’s security officer, Bilal Sheikh and others, after the investigators cleared him in the case. A suicide bomb blast near Gurumandir had resulted in the death of Shaikh, along with three others, including the alleged bomber, and injured several others on July 10, 2013.

On Wednesday, the police produced the suspect in court and also submitted a report that the suspect may be released under section 169 (release of accused when evidence deficient) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) as no evidence was found against him.

In addition, the Joint Investigation Team report also declared him clear which forced the police to file report under section 169 of the CrPC, said the court sources. The IO requested the court to order his release.

According to the prosecution, Bikik was already under detention in connection with some other cases and the IO had obtained permission from the court to interrogate him in the current murder case. He was formally arrested on March 10, and the police had claimed that they had sufficient evidence to connect him to Sheikh’s murder.

A case, No.244/13, under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with section ¾ of the Explosives Act and section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997, was registered against unknown suspects at Jamshed Quarters police station.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2014.