An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday referred Babar Butt murder case to a sessions court after removing terrorism charges from it.
ATC-IV Judge Muhammad Ilyas passed the orders while hearing applications filed by the accused Shafqat Ali and Habib Butt allegedly involved in the killing of former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) contestant Babar Butt.
During the hearing, Manawan police produced the case record in compliance with the court orders.
The defence counsel requested the court to grant bail to the accused, as they did not have any link with the Babar Butt killing. He further submitted that the case did not invoke the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATC) sections. But, despite the fact, the police included 7-ATA in the case, he added. He pleaded with the court to remove the ATA section and refer the matter to a sessions court.
At this, the court extended the interim bail of the accused and referred the matter to the sessions court after removing terrorism charges sections from it.
Babar Sohail Butt—a PPP ticket-holder in 2013 general elections—was killed in a brazen gun attack inside his home in Lahore last week.
Police had registered a case (FIR 157/17) against the suspects under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, Sections 302 (murder), 109 (abetment), 148 and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
