Journalist killing case registered under ATA section

Despite claiming to have found leads in the case of journalist Athar Mateen’s killing, police are yet to arrest the culprits. A case of the killing was, however, registered on Sunday under a section of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

An FIR No 87/22 was registered on the complaint of the deceased journalist’s brother Tariq Mateen at the North Nazimabad police station. The police placed a section of the ATA in the case along with sections of the Pakistan Penal Code pertaining to killing and robbery.

On Saturday, the police claimed that the robbers who had gunned down the journalist were also seen in CCTV footage of multiple theft of motorcycles. However, this did not enable them to trace and arrest the perpetrators.

Police investigators on Sunday said that they had completed geo-fencing. Athar, who was working for a private news channel as its senior producer, was shot dead on Friday near Five Star Chowrangi in the port city’s North Nazimabad area for trying to thwart a robbery bid. Police said some muggers were robbing a citizen when Mateen hit them with his vehicle, following which one of the suspects opened fire on him resulting in his death. On Saturday, his funeral prayers were offered in Clifton, after which he was laid to rest at the Yasinabad graveyard.