MQM activist Kaleemullah sent to jail on judicial remand

Karachi
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday sent Kaleemullah, the man accused of the murder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zahrah Shahid to the Central Jail Karachi till April 16 on a judicial remand.
In the previous hearing, physical remand of Kaleemullah, said to be a member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, had been granted to the police for interrogation.
In the previous hearing, the ATC-III had directed the investigation officer to have Kaleemullah medically examined and submit a report about his health condition after his lawyer, Advocate Muhammad Jiwani, had claimed that his client had been tortured severely while in police custody. He said his client had been unable to stand and was suffering from haematuria (blood in urine) while his feet were also swollen.
The counsel had also maintained that the charge sheet submitted in court for Zahrah Shahid’s murder neither mentioned his name as an accused or the co-accused.
The court had been informed by Rangers officials that he had been arrested from near Teen Talwar on March 18.
However, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement had claimed Kaleemullah was picked up on February 25, from his tailoring shop in Gulf Shopping Mall, from where he was taken to an undisclosed location and a case regarding his disappearance was being heard by the Sindh High Court (SHC).
A petition had been filed in the SHC by Qafia Begum, stating that her son working at a tailoring shop in Clifton was picked up on February 25 following which the SHC had issued notices to the Sindh IGP, DG Rangers and other officials.
Meanwhile, the Rangers’ spokesman had announced that an “intelligence-based operation” on March 18 near the Teen Talwar intersection had resulted in the arrest of a “notorious target killer” named Kaleem who had been involved in numerous murders, including that of the PTI leader. He also said claimed that an unlicensed weapon was also seized from his possession.
Zahra Shahid had been shot dead by two men on a motorcycle outside her residence on May 18, a day before the re-election was held for NA-250.
Two suspects, Muhammad Rashid alias Master and Zahid Abbas Zaidi, are already being tried in connection with the murder case in ATC-III headed by Saleem Raza Baloch.
One of the accused was also identified by a witness. Another witness had refused to testify over security concerns.
Three other men, Junaid Bukhari, Tariq Nawab and Asif alias Ganja, have been declared absconders and non-bailable warrants are out for their arrest.