ISLAMABAD: A British lawyer assisting the Pakistani government in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case on Thursday ‘disowned’ part of the testimony of a prosecution witness regarding deportation of a suspect, Mohsin Ali, saying the British Home Office had all the record of the suspect’s entry and exit and that he had never been deported to Pakistan by the British authorities.

British lawyer Toby Cadman argued before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad that the information of Sheikh Moinuddin, a prosecution witness of the UK police, regarding Mohsin’s deportation was based on hearsay.

A day earlier, Moinuddin, while testifying before ATC judge Shahrukh Arjumand, said that a lady officer of the UK police had informed him that Mohsin had been deported to Pakistan.

On Thursday, Mr Cadman informed the court that the Home Office of the United Kingdom had the entire record of Mohsin’s entry and exit from the UK. He said that the UK police never took the suspect into custody and he left the country on his own.

Prosecution witness claimed a day earlier that a British policewoman had informed him Mohsin Ali was deported

The judge asked if the UK Home Office wants to clarify the statement.

The special prosecutor of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Khawaja Imtiaz, replied that he will submit a letter from the UK Home Office, along with an application from the prosecution, to put the record straight.

The defence counsel intervened and suggested to the court that the testimony of the witness might be discarded for telling a lie.

Mr Cadman claimed that the witness did not lie, adding that the police officer did not disclose to him true information about Mohsin’s exit.

It may be mentioned that Mohsin was wanted by the UK authorities for allegedly stabbing Dr Farooq to death along with suspect Kashif Khan Kamran and they always maintained that both of them had left their country after the assassination. In June 2015 — around five years after Dr Farooq’s murder — the Frontier Corps claimed to have arrested Mohsin Ali and Khalid Shamim in Chaman, Balochistan, when they were trying to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan.

On Thursday, prosecution witness Dr Robert Chapman testified before the ATC that he found 25 marks on the body of Dr Farooq. He said that 18 injuries were blunt while seven were sharp injuries.

He informed the court that the post-mortem on Dr Farooq was conducted on Feb 14, 2011. According to Dr Chapman, Dr Farooq died because of multiple stabbing and facial and head injuries.

He said that in his professional career, he conducted autopsy in about 3,000 homicide and suspicious cases and 15,000 cases of sudden deaths.

The last prosecution witness, Gad Cummins, a former detective constable of the London Metropolitan Police, informed the court that he was appointed a search officer in this murder case.

He said that he collected evidence from the crime scene and also inspected the house of the deceased.

The witness said that after collecting the evidence he had handed them over to the authorised officer.

After the recording of statement of Cummins, special prosecutor Khawaja Imtiaz said that the prosecution case had been completed as the entire evidence had been laid before the court.

The ATC judge thanked the British judge for facilitating the recording of testimonies. The British judge also reciprocated via the video link.

Further proceedings in the case were adjourned to Feb 13.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2020