KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court issued on Saturday warrants for the arrest of head of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan Mullah Fazlullah, former TTP spokesman Shahidullah Shahid and six others in the Karachi airport attack case.

Sarmad Siddiqui, Asif Zaheer and Nadeem alias Burger alias Mullah were arrested in October for allegedly providing logistical support, funds and weapons to around 10 attackers who stormed Karachi airport in June and were killed in an operation.

The investigating officer submitted a report in which he chargesheeted three detained suspects and showed Fazlullah and Shahidullah Shahid, who were named in the FIR as the outlawed TTP claimed the responsibility for the attack, as well as six others as absconding accused.

Malik Mumtaz Awan, Asim Sharif, Abdul Rasheed Siddiqui, Akhtar alias Plumber, Iqbal alias Thekedar and Abdullah Baloch were the other absconders.

The IO placed 98 prosecution witnesses in the investigation report and did not chargesheet Master Essa, who was arrested with other detained suspects, but the police released him during investigation under Section 169 (release of accused when evidence deficient) of the criminal procedure code.

After admitting the investigation report, ATC-I judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso issued non-bailable warrants for the absconders and asked the IO to arrest and produce them in court by Jan 8.

According to the prosecution, around 10 heavily armed militants stormed Karachi airport on the night of June 8 and were killed by army commandos and personnel of other security forces during the operation which lasted around five hours. Around 25 people, including personnel of the Airport Security Force, police and Rangers were also killed, it added.

The crime investigation department of police claimed to have arrested the suspects belonging to Al Qaeda and the TTP on Oct 28 for extending support to the killed militants in the audacious gun-and-explosive attack.

Published in Dawn December 21th , 2014