KARACHI: The administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts extended on Tuesday the physical remand of a key suspect of the Feb 16 suicide attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in explosives and illicit weapon cases till Nov 28.

The Counter-Terrorism Department submitted that Nadir Ali Jakhrani was arrested last week in the Manghopir area while he was trying to enter Karachi from Balochistan.

The CTD maintained that two hand grenades, explosive material and an unlicensed weapon was found in his possession, adding that he was also allegedly involved in the suicide attack on the shrine of the Sufi saint in Sehwan.

After the end of his first remand, the investigating officer produced the suspect again before the administrative judge and submitted that on Nov 20 the CTD had also obtained his remand from an ATC in Hyderabad till Nov 26 in the main case registered at the Sehwan police station.

Warrants issued for arrest of SSP Rao Anwar

The IO said that the suspect was associated with the militant Islamic State group and sought extension in his remand.

The administrative judge granted extension in his physical remand till Nov 28 and directed the IO to produce him at next hearing with a progress report.

Following his arrest, the CTD booked the suspect in two cases under Sections 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 and Section 23(1)(a) of the Sindh Arms Act, 2013 read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

The main case was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty), 295 (injuring defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 440 (mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 3/4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 read with Section 7 of the ATA at the Sehwan police station.

Around 80 people were killed and more than 350 others wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the packed-to-capacity courtyard of the shrine of the Sufi saint on Feb 16.

Warrants out against Rao Anwar, others

A sessions court issued on Tuesday non-bailable warrants for the arrest of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar and others for not appearing to record their evidence in three cases registered in the 1990s against former Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Saleem Shahzad.

Syed Saleem-ul-Haq, better known as Saleem Shahzad, has been charged in three cases pertaining to murder, kidnapping, wrongful confinement, criminal intimidation and rioting lodged at the Landhi police station in 1992.

In the previous hearing, an additional district and sessions judge (East) summoned the Malir SSP, DSP Khalid and other policemen to record their statements on Nov 21 as they were the prosecution witnesses in the cases.

However, the police officials did not turn up on Tuesday and the judge issued non-bailable warrants and directed the DIG East to arrest and produce them before the court on Nov 25.

Terror financing case against Altaf

An antiterrorism court was informed on Tuesday that the investigation of a terror financing and money laundering case against Muttahida Qaumi Movement founder, Altaf Hussain, and others had been transferred from the Federal Investigation Agency Karachi to Islamabad.

The FIA, Karachi, had filed an interim charge sheet last month against Mr Hussain and others and alleged that the charity wing of the MQM, Khidmat-i-Khalq Foundation, was allegedly used as a source of illegal money transfer to Mr Hussain in London to finance terrorism and he also allegedly received Indian funding for unlawful activities in Pakistan.

The FIR was registered on a complaint of UK-based businessman Sarfaraz Merchant in September at the FIA State Bank Circle, Karachi.

In a previous hearing, the ATC-II had issued non-bailable warrants against the MQM founder besides Mohammad Anwar, Tariq Mir and Khawaja Rehan Mansoor and directed the investigating officer to submit a report regarding the execution of warrants on Nov 15.

However, IO Mohammad Ali Abro was found absent on Nov 15 and the court issued him a show-cause notice for his absence with the direction to come on Nov 21 with a reply.

When the case came up for hearing before the ATC-II judge on Tuesday, Mr Abro turned up and informed the court through a report that he was no longer an IO of the case as the investigation had been transferred from Karachi to Islamabad.

Therefore, the court adjourned the hearing till Dec 8.

The interim charge sheet was mainly based on the investigations conducted by the Metropolitan Police in London.

Mr Merchant was also among half a dozen suspects, including the MQM founder, grilled by Scotland Yard in the money laundering investigation in London. But the probe against all the suspects was dropped in October 2016.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2017