An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday reserved verdict in cases against former Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza and co-accused which is likely to be announced on March 6.
The ATC conducted the hearing of cases against Zulfiqar Mirza and others including terrorism, vandalism and attacks on a police station and a shop owned by a provincial lawmaker in Badin. The accused persons appeared in the hearing. During the hearing, witnesses recorded their testimonies during the hearing.
The court later reserved verdict in cases related to an attack on the police station and a shop of a Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Taju Mallah in Badin.
It is likely that the ATC will announce the verdicts of two more cases against Mirza and his aides in the next hearing to be held on March 6. The former Sindh home minister Zulfiqar Mirza and his aides are facing different cases of terrorism, vandalism and others registered at different police stations of Badin. Dr Mirza, a disgruntled and disowned leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), along with his associates was initially booked in three cases on charges of attempted murder, attacking a police station and forcible closure of shops in a market of Badin district under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Later, two more cases were registered against him on charges of attempted murder and obstructing public servants from performing their duties. Earlier on February 10, the witnesses in the hearing of two cases against Mirza and others failed to identify the accused. During the hearing at an anti-terrorism court here, seven witnesses claimed that the police took statements from them under the duress.
“Do you identify the accused?” the public prosecutor asked prosecution witnesses. “We don’t know them,” all seven eyewitnesses denied identifying Zulfiqar Mirza and other accused in their statements.
“We are workers and were working in the Bazaar in Badin,” they said. “You told the police about the attack,” the prosecutor asked. “We didn’t say anything or give any statement. The police took our signatures forcefully,” the witnesses said. “Some people made arson attacks in the marketplace, but not the accused present in the courtroom,” the witnesses stated. A police official Tariq also failed to identify Mirza and other accused, adding that the incident took place five years ago and he doesn’t even remember the accused.
