ACLC officials to be indicted in Intizar murder case on 30th

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has set March 30 as the date to frame charges against all police officials accused in the Intizar murder case, while extending the interim bail of Inspector Tariq Rahim till the same date.

Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) SHO Tariq Mehmood and his peers Ghulam Abbas, Azhar Ahsan, Fawad Khan, Danial, Bilal, Shahid and Tariq Rahim are being tried in the murder case of 19-year-old Intizar Ahmed who was killed on January 13 in DHA when ACLC officials opened fire at his car.

Rahim was granted bail by the Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) in January against a sum of Rs500,000, which was subsequently extended. Earlier this month, the Judicial Magistrate (South) transferred the case to the ATC concerned, which too confirmed Rahim’s interim bail plea.

Some eight accused who are in police custody were produced before the court in a hearing on Wednesday which was also attended by Intizar’s father, Ishtiaq Ahmed along with his lawyer. In their statement about the firing, the ACLC officials had claimed that they were on duty at Bara Bukhari Lane 5, Khayaban-e-Ittehad, DHA Phase-VII on January 13 and signaled for a car to stop.

However, the driver [later identified as Intizar] did not heed the call and sped away, the officials claimed, adding that they fired at the car’s tires to make it stop but some bullets hit the occupant instead and he died on the spot.

The ACLC officials were initially held accountable for violating the standard operating procedure as they were in plain clothes when they had allegedly tried to stop Intizar and then shot at his car. However, the deceased’s father later said in a press conference that they had planned to kill his son that day.

TDAP scam

Meanwhile, the Federal Anti-Corruption Court (FACC) expressed its displeasure over the failure of former prime minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Yousuf Raza Gilani in the hearings of some 26 corruption cases of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) scandal.

The court directed Gilani’s attorneys to ensure his appearance at the next date hearing which was set for March 26 when the accused would be indicted.

It is pertinent to note that despite the passage of six years, charges are yet to be framed against any of the accused believed to be involved in the corruption of billions of rupees.

The Federal Investigation Agency has registered around 84 cases under the Anti-Money Laundering and Prevention of Corruption Act against TDAP, exporters, auditors, bankers and others, including Gilani, in the scam.