Zahra Shahid murder case: ATC rejects application filed by defence to transfer case

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday rejected an application filed by the defence seeking a transfer of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahra Shahid Hussain’s murder case to a district and sessions court.

Hussain was killed outside her house in DHA on May 17, 2013, on eve of re-polls in the NA-250 constituency. Her death sparked political tensions as the PTI accused the Muttahida Qaumi Movement of the murder.

The application was filed by the suspect - Muhammad Rashid alias Master’s counsel under Section 23 (power to transfer case to a regular court) of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) to transfer the case to a session court as the lawyer argued that the case did not fall within the ATA.

The ATC-III judge Saleem Raza Baloch, however, after listening to the arguments from both sides dismissed the plea.

Two suspects, Rashid and Zahid Abbas Zaidi, are currently in jail for their alleged involvement in the case and copies of the charges have been supplied to them. While four absconding suspects, Junaid Bukhari, Tariq Nawaz, Asif alias Ganja and Irfan alias Lamba, have been declared as proclaimed offenders by the same court.

The case was registered under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act at the Gizri police station.