Two political activists who were arrested for the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker, Zahra Shahid, have been sent on remand into police custody till October 9.
Anti-Terrorism Court judge Saleem Raza Baloch also ordered the investigation officer, inspector Mobin Ahmed, to present the suspects and also submit a progress report on the investigation by the next date.
Shahid was shot dead by unidentified men in front of her house in Defence Phase IV, hours before the re-election in the NA-250 constituency on May 17, 2013. Sixteen months later, the city police chief claimed last week to have tracked down three suspects for their involvement in the murder, including the man who plotted the murder.
On Friday, the police brought both the suspects - Muhammad Rashid alias Master and Zahid Abbas Zaidi - to the court amid tight security. The two men wore bulletproof vests due to fears of being killed on their way to and from the court.
The investigation officer of the case produced two suspects, Rashid and Zahid, in court to seek physical custody. The official claimed that Rashid was initially arrested for possessing illicit arms on September 25, but had disclosed that he had masterminded the murder during interrogations.
On a lead given by him, the police tracked down his accomplice, Zahid, on October 2, the investigation officer added. He said suspects had also named his accomplices, Lala alias Jahangir and Mehmood Ateeq, who are still at large.
Inspector Mobin said the arrested suspects need to be interrogated further to complete the investigations and to find their absconding accomplices. He requested the court to extend the remand.
Separately, a lower court also granted physical custody of the suspects to the police on charges of possessing illicit arms till October 9.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2014.
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