KARACHI: An accountability court has fixed March 18 to frame amended charges against Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani and 18 others in a reference pertaining to alleged unlawful accumulation of assets worth Rs1.61 billion.

Mr Durrani, a senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was detained in February 2019 during investigation into his alleged movable and immovable assets beyond his known sources of income, making 352 illegal appointments, embezzlement of public money in the construction of the MPA Hostel and the new Sindh Assembly building as well as appointment of project directors for these schemes.

NAB had named Mr Durrani, his spouse, children, brother and others for allegedly possessing assets worth around Rs1.61bn made through illegal means.

IO asked to file report in Zain Effendi case

On Wednesday, when the matter came up before Judge Dr Sher Bano Karim of the Accountability Court-III, an absconding suspect Mohammad Irfan surrendered after obtaining bail from the Sindh High Court and asked the court to allow him to join the trial.

Allowing the request, the judge fixed the matter for March 18 to frame amended charges against all the suspects.

Earlier, the court had indicted Mr Durrani, his family members and others in the present case on Nov 30, 2019.

IO told to file reference in Malir graft case

In the meanwhile, the Accountability Court-I Judge Abdul Ghani Soomro granted one-week time to the NAB investigating officer for filing a reference against two detained chairmen of the district municipal corporation of Malir in a graft case.

In October last year, NAB detained Manzoor Hussain Abbasi and Rehmatullah over their alleged involvement in embezzlement/misappropriation of funds between 2013 to 2017.

Zain Effendi case

A local court on Tuesday directed the IO to submit an investigation report in a case pertaining to alleged murder of Zain Hasan Ali Effendi inside his Cosmopolitan Society house.

Initially, police booked five unidentified men over killing of 50-year-old Effendi, great-grandson of founder of the Sindh Madressatul Islam Hassan Ali Effendi and maternal cousin of former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari.

Later, some four suspects — Rehmatullah, Imran, Mohammad Gul and Faizan — were taken into custody over their alleged involvement in the murder.

On Tuesday, the IO of the case appeared before the judicial magistrate (East) concerned and filed an investigation report.

However, the judge pointed out that the investigation report was incomplete.

The judge returned the same, directing the IO to submit a complete investigation report till March 8 and adjourned the hearing.

In January, an eyewitness had identified three detained suspects as alleged murderers of Zain Effendi.

According to contents of the FIR lodged by the victim’s wife, Anita Zain, she was asleep in their room on the upper portion of the bungalow when they heard that the door of their bedroom was knocked on with force at around 4.20am and suddenly four armed men entered by breaking the door lock.

Soon after entering the room, they demanded gold ornaments from her.

The complainant said she immediately gave them her chain and a ring. In the meantime, one suspect while talking to her husband pushed him and took him to other room while other suspects took two mobile phones and two purses lying on the table, which contained some necessary papers and cash.

The complainant said in the meantime, her husband put up resistance and the suspect who had taken him to other room opened fire on him, which missed.

The suspect fired again, which hit her husband on the face. Later, the suspects fired three to four more shots and left the room.

She rushed to her husband who had already died. She phoned the family driver who wasn’t responded to her call.

The complainant said she phoned her mother-in-law and when she came out from the room, the suspects had fled.

As per FIR, the robbers had tied hands and legs of the guard, watchman and driver and one of the armed suspects stood watching over them.

The robbers also broke the lock of the children’s room, threatened them and asked them about the room of their father, said the complainant.

The FIR said five masked and armed men entered the home, snatched gold ornaments, mobile phones and purses and shot dead Zain Effendi over resistance.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2021