20000112

Hearing of Iranian

engrs murder appeal

adjourned

KARACHI: The hearing of an appeal in double murder case of Iranian engineers against accused Rashid Hussain and Khalid was adjourned for a date in office by an Appellate Bench of the Sindh High Court for Anti-Terrorism Courts comprisiing Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Jsutice Mohammad Ashraf Leghari.

When the appeal came up for hearing on Tuesday, the counsel for appellants was called absent. Later, it was found that name of Advocate, Khwaja Naveed counsel for appellants was not appearing in the cause list.

The bench then put off the matter till a date to be fixed by the office. According to the prosecution, accused fired and killed Iranian engineers Murtaza Adeeb Zadey and Ali Mohammad Habibi on February 21, 1998 while they were working on Clifton flyover bridge.

The same bench also adjourned the appeal filed by Nadeem alias Sharper, an MQM activist till January 18.

The appellant was sentenced to death by an ATC on charge of abducting and killing Anees alias Kala of rival MQM faction on January 24, 1997.

The same court also admitted an appeal filed by accused/convicts Shah Hussain and Imdad Ali against their conviction and sentenced. The court also issued notice to the Sindh AG. The accused were booked by Soldier Bazar police on the charge of snatching a motorycles from complainant Shehzad Ahmed.

The accused/appellants were sentenced to served seven years terms and fine of Rs. 25,000 each or in default to undergo RI for one-year more.

The same bench dismissed an appeal filed by one Mohammad Rahim against orders of Hyderabad ATC transferring the case of sessions court.

The appellant moving the court maintained that the case was triable by the ATC against accused Khan Mohammad, Alam Sher, Zaheer Hussain, Salman and Punhoon who allegedly fired with Kalashnikov killed his brother Mohammad Khan on December 1, 1998 in the jurisdiction of PS Gharo.

The bench in its judgement upheld the judgement by the ATC Hyderabad judge but, however, ordered that the case be heard by the sessions judge as judge of the special court for Suppression of Terrorist Activities (STA).ÑAPP