KARACHI, Jan 15: An anti-terrorism court directed on Monday the director general of the Rangers to ensure appearance of the personnel before the court who were injured in the bomb blast near US consulate.

The judge put off the hearing of the case till January 20 when the court was told that the injured personnel of the Rangers did not turn up to record their statements as prosecution witnesses.

The judge wrote a letter to the DG Rangers asking him to direct the required personnel to appear before the court for recording their testimony on the next date of hearing. The judge also directed the provincial health secretary to ensure the appearance of those medico-legal officers who had examined the injured people.

Two Al Qaeda suspects – Anwarul Haq and Usman Ghani – are being tried for masterminding suicide car bombing to kill US diplomat. Four people were killed on March 2, 2006 when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into the diplomat’s vehicle yards away from the US consulate.

The blast that took place in a narrow lane between the five-star Marriott Hotel and Naval Surgery Hospital also left over 50 others wounded.

US Consulate official David Foy, his Pakistani driver Iftikhar and Lance Naik Zafar of Rangers were killed on the spot. The body of the suicide bomber, later identified as Mohammed Tahir, was also torn into pieces.

Dr Patoli stated that the investigation officer of the case had brought to him a finger and a bone of right hand of the alleged suicide bomber. He said he had sealed the body parts of the suicide bomber for DNA test.

Prosecution witness Shahid Ali said he was sent to the Jinnah hospital by the consulate to identify the killed consulate official and his driver. He said he went to the hospital where he had identified David Foy and driver Iftikhar.

Colonel Mohammed Anver stated that he had gone to the naval hospital for physiotherapy. He said he was parking his car at the hospital when the blast occurred. He said he was injured and his car was damaged in the blast.

The prosecution, represented by special public prosecutor Naimat Ali Randhawa, has so far examined 29 prosecution witnesses in the case.

According to investigators, the explosive-laden car was parked outside the naval establishment and when the convoy of the US official appeared, the bomber rammed his vehicle into the bullet-proof car. The vehicle flew up into the air before landing across a concrete barrier on the pavement of Marriot.

According to the charge-sheet, Mohammed Tahir, son of Raja Afzal, had left his Landhi house on March 2 after Fajr and later his family was informed of his death.

On August 15, the investigation officer visited the house of the suicide bomber and recorded the statement of his father.

Raja Afzal told the investigator that his son had gone to Afghanistan for Jihad thrice and had also been imprisoned in Afghanistan.

The father of the suicide bomber told the investigation officer that a man visited his house thrice after the disappearance of his son and gave him Rs5,000, Rs8,000 and Rs10,000 during his three visits. He said the same man contacted his another son Raja Mohammed Idrees, who is a student at Binori Town Madressah, in July and told him that Tahir had been killed.

On August 18, the investigation officer recorded the statement of Idrees, who also supported the statement of his father.

The brother of the suicide bomber said he knew one of his brother’s friends, Usman, who had brought his letter to the family from Afghanistan during his detention there.

MURDER CASE: Judge Saghir Hussain Zaidi of the ATC-3 put off the hearing of a ransom and murder case against a woman and a man after recording the statement of a prosecution witness.