ATC snubs IO for failing to submit final charge sheet against Hashmi

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) snubbed the investigation officer (IO) for failing to file the final charge sheet against former Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Senator Nehal Hashmi, who is facing charges of threatening the judiciary and other institutions in a speech.

The IO had earlier been directed several times to submit the charge sheet. At a previous hearing, he had asked the court to grant him some time to submit the charge sheet, saying the administrative judge had already given him time till August 9 to do so.

The court had adjourned the hearing twice after accepting the investigation officer’s requests. However on Friday, the court strictly asked the IO not to delay the submission of the final charge sheet and ensure its presentation on September 16.

Hashmi has been on interim bail granted to him for a sum of Rs200,000.

He is alleged to have hurled threats to judicial and other public servants while commenting on the Panama scandal case in a speech on May 28.

His case firstly was sent to a sessions court, but later the IO inserted provisions dealing with the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and the case was transferred to the ATC. He had already been on interim bail granted for Rs50,000 by a sessions court for 15 days, but after the transfer of his case he had to move another bail application.

A police report submitted to the ATC said the provisions dealing with the Anti-terrorism Act had been included in the case against Hashmi as he had committed a terrorist activity by threatening judicial and other public servants with dire consequences.

The report further alleged that Hashmi had threatened the Supreme Court-appointed Joint Investigation Team, the judiciary and other institutions. A case against him was registered at the Bahadurabad police station.

Mirza’s men acquitted

The additional district and sessions judge (South) acquitted three men, said to be servants of former home minister Zulfiqar Mirza, of charges of possessing illegal arms.

Sikandar Brohi, Muhammad Ibraheem and Naik Muhammad Nohani had been arrested at the Mirza House in Defence Housing Authority in May 2015, and police had claimed seizing an illegal SMG. Police had also claimed that the three were Mirza’s employees and involved in Lyari gang war crimes. However, the prosecution failed to prove the charges during the course of the trial.

Mirza, a dissident leader of the Pakistan Peoples, along with his 11 companions, has already been acquitted of a ransacking case registered with the Aram Bagh police station in May 2015.

However, he is facing several other cases in ATCs.