RAWALPINDI:
The anti-terrorism court (ATC) Islamabad has admitted for hearing the bail plea of a gunman who had engaged law-enforcement agencies in the hours-long stand-off in the capital on August 15, 2013.
The gunman, Sikandar Hayat, had resorted to aerial firing and taken his own family hostage, engaging police for five hours on Jinnah Avenue amid a media circus.
Sikandar was captured alive but in an injured state after police snipers shot him down, following a botched attempt by Pakistan Peoples Party leader Zamurd Khan to tackle the gunman on his own while conducting negotiations.
He was charged under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and attempted murder under the Pakistan Penal Code among other charges.
He was charged with the crime on November 26, 2013, and the court has recorded statements of 30 witnesses. Sikandar’s counsels have maintained that their client has been in jail for over two years and the case is still open. They requested the court to order his release on bail.
Judge Kausar Zaidi admitted the bail application and summoned the Kohsar SHO with the complete record of the case on September 8, 2015.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 2nd, 2015.
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