Indictment in DHA double murder case delayed again

A sessions court on Saturday gave a final chance to the DHA double murder suspects to ensure that their lawyers are present in the next hearing, warning them that if they are a no-show again, the court itself will provide them with lawyers.

Atif Zaman and his brother Adil Zaman were booked for the murders of anchorperson Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat. According to the prosecution, Atif owed money to the victims, and on the latter’s insistence to return it, the former with the connivance of his brother killed the two men on July 9 last year in the Defence Housing Authority neighbourhood.

The court was scheduled to frame charges against the suspects on Saturday, but their lawyers were a no-show again. The defence lawyers have been evading the indictment proceedings for the past many hearings, due to which the trial is yet to begin.

At the judicial complex in the Central Jail Karachi, the additional district & sessions judge (South) fixed the date of indictment for February 29, with a strict warning to the lawyers to ensure their presence on that day or be removed from the case.

The judge asked Atif about his lawyer, to which he said the lawyer had undergone surgery and was advised bed rest. Atif asked the judge for a three-week adjournment, which the court declined.

The judge asked Adil about his lawyer, to which he said he could not get in touch with the lawyer. The case, which appears to be interesting in its nature, has been facing similar setbacks since it started.