ATC to announce ruling on transfer of Intezar murder case today

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the Intezar Ahmed murder case did not announce its ruling regarding the transfer of the case to a regular court, deferring the announcement till Friday (today). The judge observed on Thursday that due to other engagements, the order could not be written.

The court has already heard the arguments on the transfer appeal made by the accused. Anti-Car Lifting Cell (ACLC) SHO Tariq Mehmood and seven other ACLC cops – Ghulam Abbas, Azhar Ahsan, Fawad Khan, Danial, Bilal, Shahid and Tariq Rahim – are being tried in the case of the murder of Intezar Ahmed, who was killed when ACLC officials opened fire at his car in DHA on January 14.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, the deceased’s father, has alleged that the police are adopting delaying tactics to save their accused colleagues. The police have submitted a charge sheet in the court stating that they have found no evidence regarding an enmity between the slain and the accused. It added that no evidence against suspended ACLC SSP Muqaddas Haider, Mahrukh, Sohail and Madiha Kayani was found during the investigation. The police also failed to establish any link between the SSP and Madiha Kayani, and Mahrukh and Sohail Ahmed.

According to the interim charge sheet, both the policemen Bilal and Daniyal who fired shots at Intezar were arrested. Intezar’s death was caused by the bullet fired by Bilal, the Challan stated. The police informed the court that 28 witnesses have been made part of the investigation of the murder.

Earlier, the additional district and sessions judge (South) had transferred the case to the ATC after the provisions dealing with Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 were added to the charge sheet. However the accused ACLC cops challenged the transfer and took the stand that the police encounter was not an act of terrorism and they should be tried in a regular court.

Separately, an accountability court (AC) acquitted a former employee of Pakistan Steel Mills, Abdul Ghafoor, and two private dealers, Sabir and Imran, from a multi-million rupee corruption reference.

The court declared that the investigation officer (IO) had failed to hold the investigation fairly and in a transparent manner which finally benefited the three accused. The National Accountability Bureau had filed the reference against Ghafoor, Sabir and Imran in 2012 accusing them of committing corruption of around Rs537million.

According the prosecution, Ghafoor had been disposing of precious products of Pakistan Steel Mills to the two private dealers at throwaway rates, which resulted in misappropriation of Rs537 from the steel mills. The three men were already out on bail in the case and on Thursday, the court acquitted them of all charges.