KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on the bail petition of Azam Swati, one of the three accused in the Perween Rahman murder case.
Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) Director Perveen Rahman was murdered in a targeted attack near Banaras fly-over in Orangi Town in March 2013. She was targeted for her activism against the land and water mafia in the metropolis.
While Azam Swati was arrested from Mansehra where was hiding, his accomplices including accused Noor Muhammad and Ahsanuddin are still on the loose and have been declared absconders.
As Swati was presented in court today, the judge while reserving the verdict on his bail petition announced that a decision will be announced on August 3. The hearing was then adjourned until August 10.
Perween Rahman murder case:
Perveen was a vocal activist who laboured for the rights of low-income communities and spoke about their miseries at the hands of land and water mafia.
A day after her killing, police claimed to have killed an alleged suspect, Qari Bilal, in an encounter.
Later, in 2014, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered a fresh probe after it was alleged that police mishandled the investigation.
In 2016, the Sindh Police claimed to have arrested prime suspect in the case, Swati. The police have since claimed to have arrested several more suspects in the case.
Rahman’s family and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had petitioned the apex court to help ascertain the real motive of the killing and police negligence.