July 26, 2007	Thursday	Rajab 10, 1428

ISLAMABAD, July 25: Senior Civil Judge Abid Rizwan Abid here on Wednesday rejected the bail application of former state minister of communications Mohammad Shahid Jamil Qureshi.

The former state minister, facing charge of homicide, appeared in a local court seeking bail, but the judge rejected it as signs of torture were detected on the body of the deceased during the second autopsy.

Interestingly, the accused reached and left the court in a private vehicle, which showed how influential he still is.

The former state minister is facing charges of Qatl Shibh-i- Amd (PPC 316), wrongful confinement for 10 days or more (PPC 344) and wrongful confinement in secret (PPC 346). He has been in police custody since June 22 after his first bail application was rejected by additional sessions judge Mirza Nisar Baig.

After the end of the period of physical remand, the senior civil judge sent the former minister to Adiala jail on 14-day judicial remand on July 17.

Mustafa Qayyum, brother of Kafila Siddiqui, who died under mysterious circumstances on June 9 in a house which she shared with the former minister, told Dawn that he had submitted another application in the office of Senior Superintendent of Police to register a case against those who were involved in tampering and hiding evidence.

But the police have a view that any action, including addition of new section in the case already registered against the former state minister, will be taken in the light of chemical and histopathology reports.

On the other hand Mr Qayyum said action should be taken in the light of the second autopsy report which suggested that the head of the deceased was fractured and she was subjected to torture.

Earlier, he submitted the same application in the office of Inspector General of Police Islamabad, but he did not get any response.

Islamabad police had sought legal opinion on July 16 on the possibility of registering a case against those involved in tampering and hiding evidence besides adding a new section in the case after the second autopsy report, conducted in Karachi by a medical board, was received.