Karachi airport attack: Unlicensed weapon cases sent to sessions court

Suspects asked for transfer as their cases did not fall under Anti-Terrorism Act.

KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday sent the illicit weapon cases of two suspects connected with the June 8, 2014, Karachi airport attack to be tried in a sessions court.

The suspects, Nadeem alias Burger and Asif Zaheer, pleaded the judge of ATC-I transfer their cases to regular courts. Their counsel claimed that the court had no jurisdiction to try these cases as they did not fall under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Apart from the main case registered against the attack, the two suspects were also booked under Section 23(1)(a) of the Sindh Arms Act (which relates to possession of unlicensed weapons). The judge, Bashir Ahmed Khoso, heard the arguments and granted the plea.

The case is, however, likely to reach the indictment process at the next hearing, which is scheduled for March 7 and copies of the statements and prosecution documents have already been supplied to the three suspects, Nadeem, Zaheer and Sarmad Siddiqi, who are currently in jail custody.

They were arrested by the Crime Investigation Department (now Counter Terrorism Department) of the Sindh police for their alleged involvement in providing financial and logistical support to the Karachi airport attackers. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan chief Mullah Fazlullah and spokesperson Shahidullah are among eight others declared proclaimed offenders in the case.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2015.