KARACHI, May 4: An anti-terrorism court indicted on Friday three men in a case pertaining to the murder of a soldier.

Judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso of the ATC-I read out charges against Jahangir Bengali, Rasheed Ahmad Bengali and Mohammad Abbas along with their absconding accomplice, Yousuf Bengali, who according to the prosecution were involved in the murder of Mohammad Fahim Akhtar, a sepoy in Pakistan Rangers, Sindh, in August 2010 within the remit of the Korangi Industrial Area police station. However, they pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case. The court then summoned prosecution witnesses for next hearing.

A case (FIR No 823/2010) was registered under Sections 302 (punishment for premeditated murder), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act.

Order on bail reserved

The same court reserved its order till May 16 on a bail application of the widow of a suspected Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan leader in a kidnapping for ransom case.

Sabiha Karim, the widow of Shahid Khan alias Qari, was booked in the case for extending support to the suspected TTP leader and his two accomplices in the kidnapping of an industrialist. All the three suspects were killed in a shootout with police during a raid on a house near Korangi on Dec 5, 2011.

Through her counsel, the suspect moved the application for bail on humanitarian ground citing that she had a seven-month-old child.

Opposing the plea, public prosecutor Abdul Maroof argued that the applicant had already confessed her guilt before a magistrate. He added that the anti-terrorism act had no provision for the grant of bail merely on the ground that the suspect had an infant.