Accused moved to central prison after ‘claims of enjoying facilities at Malir jail’

The under-trial prisoner in the murder case of a judge’s son was shifted to the central prison of Karachi after he was found to be enjoying facilities at the Malir district prison, The News learnt on Saturday.

Daniyal Nazeer, son of a retired senior superintendent of police, has been accused of shooting to death Ali Keerio, son of Judge Javed Keerio, at his residence in Defence, Phase-V, on February 8.

Advocate Rasheed Ashraf, who is representing the complainant, moved an application before the Additional Sessions Judge-I (South), stating that the accused had been provided facilities of a separate room, a computer and a mobile phone. He said the accused had been shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre on the pretext of some medical problems and was even being allowed to visit home. The counsel, therefore, requested the court to order jail authorities to shift him to the central prison.

As the case came up for hearing on June 24, the judge directed the JPMC incharge to submit a “complete medical report” of the accused along with his current condition, highlighting as to why he was being kept in hospital. The court directed the IG prisons to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit his report in one week’s time. In the meantime, the judge ordered that accused Daniyal be transferred to the central prison.

On June 28, the court was informed that the accused had been discharged from hospital. During the subsequent hearing on July 2, the court took exception to the failure of the JPMC in-charge and IG jail to submit reports and issued show-cause notices to them over non-compliance with the court’s directives.

The case is now fixed for hearing on July 8, Monday, when the judge is expected to frame charges against the accused. The accused has now been moved to the central prison in compliance with the court’s directives.

Meanwhile, the court has appointed advocated Ashfaque Ahmed as the defence counsel for the accused at the state’s expense observing that he was deliberately not engaging a lawyer in violation of Article 10-A of the Constitution. An FIR was registered at the Darakhshan police station on the complaint of the victim’s cousin, Shahbaz Alam.

According to the police, the victim and the accused were friends. Daniyal had invited his girlfriend Shazia to his home, where his friends Ali Keerio and Qasim Ali, and brother Ahmar Nazeer were also present. Daniyal and Shazia were in another room of the house, and he had ordered two burgers and a cold drink for her. When the domestic help was bringing the order to them, Ali Keerio took it and went to Ahmar’s room, where he ate half a burger.

This irked Daniyal, who went outside and returned with a rifle from the guard room. Despite his brother Ahmar’s intervention, Daniyal’s anger did not subside. After a heated argument, Daniyal shot Ali Keerio in the chest, severely injuring him.