KARACHI, July 26: An anti-terrorism court on Thursday issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconding accused in the Nishtar Park bomb blast case. The explosion had killed 54 people and wounded more than 100 while an Eid-i-Milad congregation was being held there on April 11, 2006.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-V fixed Aug 7 for producing the accused for trial. The accused were not produced in the court and the jail authorities informed the court that an application had been filed with the officials concerned for approval to conduct the trials in the prison.

Accused Amanullah alias Mufti Ilyas alias Jamal, son of Gul Zareen, Mohammad Khalid Khan alias Abrar, son of Mohammad Yousuf, and Qari Abid Iqbal, son of Wali Jan, are absconding in the case. Sultan Mehmood alias Saifullah alias Muslim, son of Syed Salim alias Said Talib, Rehmatullah alias Rehmat, son of Siyam, and Mufti Mohammad Zakir Hussain Siddiqui, son of Siddiq-ur-Rehman, are in jail.

The case was transferred to the court by Administrative Judge of the ATCs Abdul Ghafoor Memon on July 13 soon after the investigation officer (IO) of the case produced a charge-sheet against the accused.

According to police, apart from the official witnesses, including police personnel, hospital staff, etc, police had recorded statements of about 116 private witnesses as well.

Police claimed to have found a human head at the bomb blast scene and DNA tests were carried out on it. It was said that a pipe was also found in the area which contained signs of splinters and could be produced in the court as a piece of evidence.

The accused in the case, Sultan, had reportedly supervised the preparations for the alleged suicide attack that claimed the lives of 54 people, including Maulana Abbas Qadri, Hafiz Mohammad Taqi, Hanif Blue and Maulana Iftikhar Bhatti of the Sunni Tehrik.

According to the charge-sheet, police had found a human head, which was identified on May 25, 2007, by Mohammad Rafique, son of Mohammad Israel, resident of Jabori in the Mansehra district of the NWFP, as that of his brother Mohammad Siddique.

The IO said Mohammad Rafique was searching for his brother and when he was given a photograph of the suspected suicide bomber, he said it had much resemblance to his brother. He said a DNA test proved that the bomber was the son of Mohammad Israel.

Mohammad Rafique was accompanied by another man identified as Mohammad Afzal who was introduced as a close friend of Mohammad Siddique. He in his detailed statement disclosed that Sultan Mehmood, Abid Iqbal Mufti Ilyas and Mohammad Khalid were also friends of Mohammad Siddique.

Mohammd Afzal said that Mohammad Siddique was in his room at night between the 11th and 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal in Binoria Town and was performing nawafil (prayers) the whole night and his friends, Abid Iqbal and Sultan Mehmood had come to meet him in the night. He added that in the morning of the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awal Mufti Ilyas and Mohammad Khalid came to his room and Mohammad Siddique went with them.

The police arrested Mufti Mohammad Zakir Hussain Siddiqui and Rehmatullah on June 15 and registered cases against them under the Explosive Act, 13/D of Arms Ordinance, 174, 175, 177 PPC in the Jamshed Town police station.

The charge-sheet stated that the accused had during interrogation disclosed the whole story which proved their involvement in the bomb blast. They had said in their statements that the victims of the attack – the Sunni Tehrik activists -- were the followers of the Barelvi school of thought while they belonged to the Deobandi school of thought.

The accused were stated to have said that the Deobandis did not consider the Barelvis to be Muslims. In order to kill the Sunni Tehrik leaders in a bomb blast, Mufti Ilyas, Qari Abid, Sultam and Mohammad Siddique (the bomber) held a meeting at the residence of Rehmatullah in Qasba Colony and prepared the plan.

Mohammad Siddique was prepared for the suicide attack, who wore a jacket and was taken by Sultan and Khalid in a taxi to the Nishtar Park, where he blew himself up during the Maghrib prayer.

The IO said accused Rehmatullah in a statement before the judicial magistriate-1 had also confessed to his crime and disclosed the names of his accomplices. A witness, Adil, in an the identification parade had also identified Sultan Mehmood.

The witness said he had seen Sultan Mehmood in Nishtar Park on the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal when Mufti Zakir asked him to leave the venue as something was going to happen.