Warrants issued for two witnesses in Naqeebullah murder case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday issued bailable arrest warrants for two key witnesses in the Naqeebullah murder case after they failed to appear to record their statements.

The ATC-III issued warrants against Hazrat Ali and Qasim and ordered the investigation officer to present them in the court on September 17. The judge observed that the witnesses were summoned on a previous hearing too but they did not appear before the court. He ordered the investigation officer to present them in the court on the next hearing.

According to the prosecution, Naseemullah Mehsud, alias Naqeebullah, 27, was killed along with three others, Sabir, Nazar Jan and Ishaq, in a fake police encounter in Shah Latif Town on January 13, 2018.

Twenty-three policemen have been charged with the murder of Naqeebullah. Of them, five, including former Malir SP Anwar Ahmed Khan, aka Rao Anwar, Qamar Ahmed Shaikh, Muhammad Yaseen, Supurd Hussain and Khizar Hayat have obtained bail.

Thirteen cops, including Allah Yar Kaka, Muhammad Iqbal, Arshad Ali, Ghulam Nazuk, Abdul Ali, Shafiq Ahmed, Shakeel, Muhammad Anar, Khair Muhammad, Faisal Mehmood, Ali Akbar, Raees Abbas Zaidi and Syed Imran Kazmi, are in custody, whereas seven, including Amanullah Marwat, Shaikh Muhammad Shoaib, Gada Hussain, Mohsin Abbas, Sadaqat Hussain Shah, Rana Shamim and Riaz, have been absconding. Permanent arrest warrants have been issued for them.

According to the prosecution, Naqeebullah and his friends Ali and Qasim were picked up by the police on January 4, 2018 from a teashop on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road and tortured in captivity. Ali and Qasim were released two days later but Naqeebullah was killed in a fake police encounter on January 13.