Delayed prosecution: Final extension given to Safoora bus attack investigators
They have yet to submit the final charge sheet against the suspects
They have yet to submit the final charge sheet against the suspects. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
The anti-terrorism court hearing the Safoora bus attack case gave on Monday one last extension to investigators to submit the final charge sheet against the suspects by November 22.
At least eight suspects, including the alleged assailants, their facilitators, as well as financers, have been remanded to jail for the massacre of 45 members of the Ismaili community.
The suspects, according to the investigators, belonged to the banned militant outfit the Islamic State. The case revolves around two trios and a duo.
The first trio is the group of alleged assailants — Tahir Hussain Minhas alias Saien, a construction entrepreneur and the alleged mastermind of the bus attack, Saad Aziz alias Tin Tin, a business graduate and the suspected assailant who allegedly filmed the execution of the victims, and Asadur Rehman alias Malik, the suspect who allegedly provided back up to the attackers.
The other trio includes the alleged financers, Fishermen Cooperative Housing Society's vice-chairperson Sultan Qamar Siddiqi, his brother Hussain Qamar Siddiqi and their friend Naeem Sajid alias Peena, who is said to be a weapon dealer. This group was recently remanded in the case.
According to the investigators, the Siddiqi brothers provided logistical support to the attackers and also supplied them with weapons through Sajid. Most of the weapons seized from the suspects are tactical and expensive.
The duo, Azhar Ishrat and Hafiz Nasir, are accused of facilitating in the attack. Ishrat reportedly provided technical expertise to the assailants while Nasir monitored the bus.
Four months on, the court has not taken cognizance of the case formally due to the prolonged investigations. On Monday, the trial court was informed that the delay in submission of the final charge sheet was occurring because they were still waiting for a forensic report of the weapons allegedly used in the attack.
The investigating officer told the court that, according to Sajid, he obtained the weapons and their licences from another arms dealer, Zahid Motiwala, who owns a guns shop in the upscale Zamzama area. In 2013 Motiwala was accused of possessing weapons, including rifles and handguns, that were stolen from Nato containers bound for forces in Afghanistan. However, he and his associates were relieved of the charges by the court after the prosecution could not produce sufficient evidence against them.
The judge, after listening to the investigator, allowed him two more weeks to submit final challan of the case. The judge also directed a letter to the home department to confirm the status of special prosecutors tasked with the case.
Currently, only Advocate Mubashir Mirza is prosecuting the case after his associate Muhammad Khan Burero reportedly detached himself from the proceedings citing security and other concerns.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2015.
The anti-terrorism court hearing the Safoora bus attack case gave on Monday one last extension to investigators to submit the final charge sheet against the suspects by November 22.
At least eight suspects, including the alleged assailants, their facilitators, as well as financers, have been remanded to jail for the massacre of 45 members of the Ismaili community.
The suspects, according to the investigators, belonged to the banned militant outfit the Islamic State. The case revolves around two trios and a duo.
The first trio is the group of alleged assailants — Tahir Hussain Minhas alias Saien, a construction entrepreneur and the alleged mastermind of the bus attack, Saad Aziz alias Tin Tin, a business graduate and the suspected assailant who allegedly filmed the execution of the victims, and Asadur Rehman alias Malik, the suspect who allegedly provided back up to the attackers.
The other trio includes the alleged financers, Fishermen Cooperative Housing Society's vice-chairperson Sultan Qamar Siddiqi, his brother Hussain Qamar Siddiqi and their friend Naeem Sajid alias Peena, who is said to be a weapon dealer. This group was recently remanded in the case.
According to the investigators, the Siddiqi brothers provided logistical support to the attackers and also supplied them with weapons through Sajid. Most of the weapons seized from the suspects are tactical and expensive.
The duo, Azhar Ishrat and Hafiz Nasir, are accused of facilitating in the attack. Ishrat reportedly provided technical expertise to the assailants while Nasir monitored the bus.
Four months on, the court has not taken cognizance of the case formally due to the prolonged investigations. On Monday, the trial court was informed that the delay in submission of the final charge sheet was occurring because they were still waiting for a forensic report of the weapons allegedly used in the attack.
The investigating officer told the court that, according to Sajid, he obtained the weapons and their licences from another arms dealer, Zahid Motiwala, who owns a guns shop in the upscale Zamzama area. In 2013 Motiwala was accused of possessing weapons, including rifles and handguns, that were stolen from Nato containers bound for forces in Afghanistan. However, he and his associates were relieved of the charges by the court after the prosecution could not produce sufficient evidence against them.
The judge, after listening to the investigator, allowed him two more weeks to submit final challan of the case. The judge also directed a letter to the home department to confirm the status of special prosecutors tasked with the case.
Currently, only Advocate Mubashir Mirza is prosecuting the case after his associate Muhammad Khan Burero reportedly detached himself from the proceedings citing security and other concerns.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2015.