DAWN/The News International, KARACHI
16 January 1999, Saturday, 27 Ramzan 1419
KARACHI: The judgments were reserved in the murder cases of Zuhair Akram Nadeem of PML-N and Chairman Board of Secondary Education (BSEK) Ismail Memon by two Military Trial Courts (MTCs) on Friday after final arguments were submitted by the prosecution and the defence.
The prosecution examined 11 witnesses while the defence examined three witnesses, one each for accused Dilawar alias Khan Sahib, Jehangir alias Kancha, Aslam Nak Chapta and Tariq Mustafa alias Arif Burger. Tariq alias Burger refused to be examined on oath while the rest of the three accused made statements on oath before the MTC pleading innocence. Zuhair Akram Nadeem was killed on July 4, 1998 in the jurisdiction of PS Orangi Town where the deceased was overseeing construction of a commercial building.
The court asked about mitigation from the three accused while Tariq Mustafa alias Arif Burger was not asked for mitigation by the MTC. The absconding accused in this case include MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, Abdul Waseh Jalil and 10 other workers and supporters of MQM (Muttahida). Twelve prosecution witnesses were examined by MTC No 8 in Ismail Memon's murder case while the defence examined none.
Even accused Syed Ayub Haider Naqvi did not examine himself on oath. However, he also pleaded innocence when he was charge sheeted and on Friday also when asked by the court for mitigation. According to the prosecution accused along with absconding accused Saleem Baldiawala, Agha Hasan Orangi Townwala and Waseem Commander, fired and killed Ismail Memon and his driver on August 31,1998 on Business Recorder Road near Patel Para. Qazi Khalid Ali, former Sindh education minister and four other accused are absconding in the case. The MTC commenced trial in these cases on January 11 and completed the proceedings in just five days.
Meanwhile, four more Prosecution Witnesses (PWs) were examined by the Military Trial Court (MTC No 6) in the killing case of a Rangers' personnel. Sepoy Mithal of Sachal Rangers, in his deposition, stated that he was sitting in the second mobile which was at a distance of 500 feet from the first mobile upon which the accused fired. He said that he remained in the mobile and saw all the incident in the side mirror of the mobile. He said that as he had ample time he saw all the accused including the accused present before this court.
Sub Inspector Javed of PS Liaquatabad said that after the incident he took the accused to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where Sepoy Dildar expired after a little while. He said after the death of Dildar, he came back when the legal formalities were completed by the police. During cross examination, he said it was correct to suggest that his statement was not recorded by the police at the hospital. It was also correct that the police prepared reports and statements after a lapse of three hours, he said. However, it was incorrect that the delay was caused because of consultation amongst the officials of Rangers and the police to falsely implicate the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM's) men.
Yaqoob, a private witness of prosecution, stated that accused Taha, Imran, Razzak and Faisal were arrested from the C-1 area, Liaquatabad. It is noteworthy that according to the prosecution, the above-named accused were arrested from Baloch Hotel, near old furniture market, Gharibabad.
Constable Syed Dildar Hussain Shah, in his deposition, stated that on the order of Inspector Qamar, the-then SHO of PS Liaquatabad, now DSP Liaquatabad, he went to the CIA Centre and took custody of the accused and then took them to the City Courts' Complex for identification parade.
During cross examination, he admitted that there was only one exit/entry door in the court room and chamber of the judge who held identification parade. Later, the proceedings in this case were adjourned till Saturday morning when the statements of PW Noor Muhammed and Investigating Officer (IO) Nawaz would be recorded. Muhammed Razzak, Muhammed Faisal, Imran, Junaid alias K-2 and Taha are facing murder and attempt to murder charges besides the charge of terrorism.
Six wounded in firing incidentsKARACHI: Six people were injured in various firing incidents in the megalopolis on Friday. Obaid Ali was shot at and wounded in Liaquatabad and later rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. Abbas received bullet injuries in Rashidabad in Baldia Town police limits and was taken to Civil Hospital. Abdul Hye, Abdul Rasheed and Basit were injured in Kalakot police precinct and taken to Civil Hospital. Hye and Rasheed received bullet wounds while Basit received head injuries. Abid was shot at and wounded in PIB Colony police limits and was taken to Civil Hospital.
32 vehicles snatchedKARACHI: The armed men looted thousand of rupees, gold ornaments, electrical appliances and snatched 32 vehicles from various parts of the city on Friday. Three armed men barged into the residence of Farooq Shah in Korangi and decamped with Rs 250,000, jewellery and other valuables. Four armed men barged into the residence of Saeed in Surjani Town police limits and robed the residents of Rs 35,000, gold ornaments and electrical appliances. The bandits looted Rs 25,000, from Asif Abdul Razaq an owner of a shop in Artillery Maidan, Rs 24, 456, from Ghulam Fasheudden in Soldier Bazar, Rs 31,500 from Muhammad Naeem in Korangi, cash, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Ali Khan in Nazimabad, cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from the residence of Shaheem Akhter in Buffer Zone, cash, prize bounds, jewellery and other valuables from the residence of Pervaz in North Nazimabad, Rs 19,000 from Khair Alam in Baldia Town and cash, gold ornaments and electrical appliances from a residence in Gulshan-e-Iqbal. The carjackers snatched 11 cars, one Pajero Jeep, one Toyota Highlux, two yellow cab and 18 motorcycles from different parts of the city.
Jumat-ul-Wida, Yaum-ul-Quds observedKARACHI: Like other parts of the country, Jumatul Wida was observed with religious zeal and fervour in the city with an impressive Al-Quds rally brought out by Tehrik Jafferia Pakistan and Imamia Students Organisation as they marked the event as Yaum-ul-Quds, on Friday.
Ulema and Aimma-e-Masajid, in their Friday sermons, stressed upon the faithful to promote peace and tranquility in their ranks besides, special prayers were offered for the Ummah's unity and for the prosperity and development of the country.
The Al-Quds rally led to a massive traffic jam in the down town as the police sealed all the roads connecting to the route of the rally for security reasons. In an attempt to get out of the rush area as early as possible in order to reach home for Iftar, motorists created a mess on detoures in Soldier Bazaar, Lines Area and Saddar while the effect of traffic jam was also felt in other connecting localities. The traffic police was helpless to restore the order of the traffic and eventually thousands of people had to break the fast amidst traffic jam.
Before emergence of the main rally, activists and supporters of ISO, riding scores of vehicles, marched the city roads with symbolic coffins wrapped in American and Israeli flags and dragged by two motorcycles. The main rally originated from Numaish area and moved towards Regal Chowk at a snail pace amidst raising slogans against US and Israil and for the independence of Baitul Maqdas. The coffins were eventually set on fire.
At Regal Chowk the rally was addressed by the TJP and ISO leaders Maulana Hasan Turabi, Maulana Syed Qamber Abbas Naqvi, Maulana Syed Zamin Abbas Zaidi, Maulana Muhammad Yousuf, Munawwar Abbas Sajidi, Basharat Qureshi and others.
The speakers stressed that Muslim leaders should shun their differences and get united against the conspiracies and aggression of Israel and America against the Ummah. They condemned the American interference in Muslim countries.
On the occasion, various resolutions were adopted, condemning the US-Israel efforts to crush the Muslim resistance movements Hammas, Hizbullah and Jehad-e-Islami. In a resolution the Pakistani government was urged to play its due role with regard to the independence of Al-Quds and against the atrocities on Palestinian. Various other organisations also held special programmes on the day.
Worst traffic jams in cityRAWALPINDI: Eleven,11,school children were wounded, two of them seriously, when a hand grenade with which a Class 6 student was playing exploded in the Government Primary School, Dhoke Hassu, Rawalpindi, on Friday at around 11:00 am, eyewitnesses said.
The grenade, which was hurled into the school building, was spotted by Class 6 student Hassan Ghaffar when he went upstairs. He brought it down presuming it was a ball. "I started playing with it in front of the staff room, not knowing what was going to happen next. But initially nothing happened," said injured Ghaffar, his voice choking at the hospital.
Ghaffar said when he tried to strip off its tape, it blew off with a big bang. "I don't really remember what happened next," he added. Smoke and dust went up into the sky and children streamed out of their classrooms as panicked people from surrounding areas rushed to the scene after hearing the explosion.
"The second shift of the school was yet to start when the explosion occurred. It was like blackout. When the cloud of smoke and dust cleared, screaming children were found lying around the place where the grenade had exploded. It was complete chaos," Malik Allah Baksh, headmaster of the school, said.
Muhammad Taj, father of the critically injured student, said: "When I reached the school after hearing that something had gone wrong there, the injured had been shifted to the hospital." "Please pray for our son," the parents of Waqas appealed to the people who had gathered outside the operation theatre where the student was undergoing surgery. "It is an act of terrorism ... a sabotage attempt. It aims at causing panic in the city," DIG Rawalpindi Muhammad Ali Mirza said. Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Shamial Ahmed Khawaja said now children are being targeted.
"It was a Russian-made hand grenade filled with four ounce of explosive powder," explosive expert Sohail Ahmed told The News. Adil Rasheed, a student of class 2, said. "I was coming out of my classroom when the explosion occurred which injured my leg," said the 7-year-old boy. Moving scenes were witnessed at the hospital, where worried parents looked for their children.
"The boys have suffered sprinter injuries, but only one of them is critically injured," the medical superintendent of the DHQ Hospital told The News. Five of the injured boys identified as Latif-ur-Rehman (Class 3 student), Ghulam Hussain (Class 2), Muhammad Manzoor (Class 2), Liaquat Ali (Class 8) and Akhtar Khan (Class 7) were shifted to the Railways Hospital, while Waqas Ahmed (Class 2), Hassan Ghaffar and Fazal Raheem (Class 1), Adil Rasheed and Shahbaz (Class 2) and Muhammad Irfan were admitted to the DHQ Hospital.
Shocking twist in Raiwind bomb blast mysteryLAHORE: The high-profile Raiwind bomb blast, apparently targeting Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has taken another mysterious turn. Forensic evidence collected by the police has established that one of the blast victims did not have any major injury, and apparently died of drowning, a reliable source said.
Lahore police chief Malik Ahmad Raza Tahir, talking to The News said, "the amazing and quite unexpected cause of the death of one of the victims has forced the investigators to accelerate their efforts and look at different angles."
A source quoted a police investigator of the bomb blast case as saying, after the autopsy report was issued here on Friday, "one of the victims, Ashraf Masih, was drowned to death, and medical evidence did not mention any injury caused by the powerful blast." The investigator said the large quantity of water which entered into the lungs of the victim caused his death. "We can say he was drowned," said the investigator adding, "the whole body of the deceased was intact."
He added that excessive bleeding also continued from the ears of the victim. "If we reconstruct the scene, we can imagine that the victim suffered a severe shock due to the sudden bang from the blast, which led blood to ooze from his ears, and also caused him to fall into the water - of the drain from where the body was found."
He added that from the forensic report it could also be assumed that the victim might have been struggling to save himself, but in vain, as he could not prevent himself from drowning. Citing the forensic report, the investigator claimed the blast did not cause the victim a physical injury.
"After clearing all the material from the blast spot and a thorough scan of the area, we are now forced to think seriously about the absence of Pitras Masih from the spot. He had throughout appeared to be a mysterious character," the investigator said, adding, "raids were being conducted in search of Pitras Masih with requests to his family to provide information if they had any."
The fact that Pitras' body was not found at the scene provides a new twist in the saga, and also raises questions about the quality of initial investigative work, which failed to detect whether in fact two or three people had died as a result of the blast. Another investigator said the cause of death of Ashraf Masih had disturbed all the investigations. He said the forensic report clearly suggested Ashraf was far away from the site of the blast.
He added, "this then raises many questions about Pitras, especially as only his chaddar was found from the spot." The location of Pitras Masih has thus become a key point for the investigators to follow-up, given his mysterious vanishing from the site after it was first assumed he had died along with his brother, both of whom had left for work together.
Former CJ files petition for release of pensionKARACHI: The former Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice (Retd.) Syed Sajjad Ali Shah, on Friday filed a constitutional petition in Sindh High Court seeking correction in date of his retirement and release of the amount of his pension. Filed through senior advocate and former Judge SHC Raja Qureshi, the former Supreme Court chief has made the Federation through Ministry of Law and Justice, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Accountant General of Pakistan and Registrar of Supreme Court as respondent. He contended that the respondents have no lawful authority to deprive him of his lawful pension. While quoting an impugned order dated October 30, 1998, Syed Sajjad Ali Shah said that his pension amounting to Rs. 25,853 per month was sanctioned with effect from October 2, 1998 instead of February 16, 1998, subjected to recovery of an amount of Rs. 80,380. The petitioner said the said amount is a closed transactions. He urged the high court to declare the impugned order of October 30, 1998, asking deduction of Rs. 80,380 and requiring a no-objection certificate (NOC) from Estate Department as "illegal, unlawful, malafide, arbitrary unjust and ab initio." According to the said order the former Chief Justice had drawn Rs. 80,380 as medical loan.