Zeeshan murder case: Wife gets interim pre-arrest bail in ‘extrajudicial’ killing case

Zeeshan's sister claimed wife provoked Rangers official to open fire.

KARACHI:

A district and sessions court granted on Friday interim pre-arrest bail to a woman allegedly involved in her husband's 'extrajudicial' killing.

The suspect, Shafia, moved the bail application through her lawyer before the additional district and sessions judge in district Central, Rashida Siddiqui, who granted her interim pre-arrest bail till May 19 against the surety of Rs100,000.

Zeeshanuddin. 30, was shot dead when a Rangers official, Rahim Noor, opened fire at him while he was engaged in a brawl with his estranged wife near Nagan Chowrangi on February 28 this year. Both the widow and the deceased's sister had filed separate cases.

In the first case, the paramilitary soldier was booked for unintentional murder on the complaint of the widow and the court had granted bail to the suspect as the offence was 'bailable'. The second case was lodged against the Rangers official and the widow on the complaint of Zeeshan's sister, who said that the offence was committed at the behest of Shafia as she was the one who provoked the Rangers official to open fire.

On April 24, a judicial magistrate had converted the unintentional murder case into a premeditated murder against the paramilitary solider after turning down the final investigation report of police into the case.

The magistrate had issued non-bailable warrants against victim's wife whom the police had decided not to send for trial in the case. The court had also issued notices to start proceedings under sections 87 (proclamation for persons absconding) and 88 (attachment of property of person absconding) of the criminal procedure code against Shafia as she had not surrendered before the court till April 24.

On Friday, the court issued notices to the state council and the investigation officer for May 19.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 17^th, 2014.