SHC moved to include more evidence in Perween Rahman murder case

A complainant in the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) director Perween Rahman’s murder case filed an application with the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday seeking the inclusion of additional evidence in the case.

Filing the application with the SHC on the appeals filed by the convicts against their conviction, complainant Aquila Ismail said she came to know that the main appellant, Mohammad Raheem Swati, had also admitted to the murder in an interview with a private TV channel.

She said that the contents of the interview materially corroborated Swati’s confession and proved that the motive behind Perween’s murder was a dispute between the appellant and the deceased over the land of the OPP.

The court was requested to take additional evidence in relation to the video recording of the interview of the appellant by itself or to direct it to be taken by the trial court. An SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha directed the complainant’s counsel to file an affidavit as to when she had received the additional evidence that she sought to take in the appeal of the convicts.

Swati was sentenced to twice life imprisonment along with his three accomplices for murdering Perween in Orangi Town. Swati’s son Imran Swati and three others were also sentenced to seven years in prison for abetment and the concealment of evidence.

Abdul Raheem Swati, Ayaz Ali Swati, Ahmed Khan, alias Pappu Kashmiri, Mohammad Amjad Hussain and Mohammad Imran Swati, who were activists of the Awami National Party (ANP), had been prosecuted for murdering Perween on March 13, 2013.

The prosecution claimed that the ANP activists wanted to get the OPP office for the purpose of a karate centre, but after being refused, they hatched a conspiracy to get Perween murdered by paid killers of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Raheem Swati and his son Imran Swati said in their appeals that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them as the trial court had not considered the material contradiction in the statements of the prosecution witnesses.

They said the prosecution had failed to associate a single private witness of the alleged incident in the thickly populated area, which made the case of the prosecution highly doubtful. They requested the court to set aside the trial court’s order and acquit them of the charges.

An anti-terrorism court had earlier said in its judgment that the prosecution had established the charge against Raheem Swati, Ayaz Ali, Amjad Hussain and Ahmed Khan for facilitating, aiding and abetting the murder of Perween, who was shot by TTP commander Moosa and Mehfoozullah, alias Bhalu (now deceased). The court said the prosecution had also established the charge against Imran Swati, Ayaz Ali, Amjad Hussain and Ahmed Khan for the disappearance of evidence of instant offence and misguiding and concealing the facts deliberately from the investigation agency.

The Supreme Court had earlier taken a suo motu notice over Perween’s murder and constituted a joint investigation team to arrest her killer after the first case was closed due to a lack of evidence.

Main accused Raheem Swati had admitted to the crime before the judicial magistrate, saying that he was a former councillor and secretary of the ANP, and that his house was located opposite the OPP office.

He said he wanted to open a karate centre on the premises but Perween refused, so he and the co-accused gathered at his home to plan how to get rid of her. He also said they contacted TTP commander Moosa and Mehfoozullah from Ayaz Ali’s mobile phone for the purpose, and they assured them that the deed would be done for money.

He added that Ayaz Ali and Amjad Afridi came to his house to inform him that Moosa, Mehfoozullah and Pappu Kashmiri had killed Perween, following which they went into hiding because his name had also been nominated in the case.