ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday adjourned the hearing of a case pertaining to the murder of Barrister Fahad Malik and summoned for three prosecution witnesses in the next date of hearing.
The court, in its previous hearings, had indicted three accused Arshad Mehmood, Nouman Khokhar and Raja Hashim, and had also recorded the statements of two prosecution witnesses, including Constable Muhammad Ramzan and computer operator Shahzad Ahmed after rejecting post-arrest bail plea of accused Arshad Mehmood.
Two witnesses, Assistant Sub Inspector Manzoor Ahmed and Muhammad Bashir, were present in the court.
It is worth mentioning that Section 7 ATA was earlier removed by the ATC judge and the case was transferred to the lower courts against which the victims’ brother Jawad Sohrab challenged the same in Islamabad High Court (IHC) which restored the 7 ATA in the case and set aside the ATC judgment for dropping terrorism clauses and transferred it back to ATC.
The Shalimar Police had booked accused Arshad Mehmood, Nouman Khokhar and at least eight others after Fahad Malik was gunned down near Shalimar Police Station in F-10/3 in the early hours of August 15, 2016.
The next date of hearing was fixed Wednesday, November 14.
Separately, an ATC adjourned the hearing of a case pertaining to Islamabad District Court (IDC) terrorist attack, causing a number of causalities of lawyers, litigants and other citizens, including Judge Rafaqat Hussain.
The case is under trial in the ATC since 2014.
The court had already released security guard Babar Hussain, who had confessed that the said judge was accidentally killed by the fire of his 9mm pistol during the terrorist attack.
The court has ordered for completion of evidence of prosecution witnesses as soon as possible.
The ATC adjourned the hearing and summoned for more prosecution witnesses in the next hearing.
Five accused have already been indicted in the case so far. The next hearing of the case has been fixed for November 22.