RAWALPINDI, Oct 16: An anti-terrorism court here on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to a police superintendent (crime and investigation) of Karachi seeking his written explanation for not taking appropriate action over the non-appearance of four police witnesses in court in a kidnapping-for-ransom case registered at the New Karachi police station in 1991.

ATC II Judge Sakhi Muhammad Kahot directed the SP to furnish explanation in writing on Oct 23, the next hearing date, why proper action had not been taken over the non-compliance of court orders about the appearance of the four witnesses, sub-inspectors Tahir Khan Niazi and Muhammad Ali Niazi with head constables Muhammad Ishaq and Muhammad Khizer Hayat, in the case.

The court had summoned the witnesses to record their statements in the case of kidnap of Naneh Bhai in the New Karachi police area for ransom but they did not appear in court though they had received the summons.

First they said they received the summons too late and later the SP office sent applications of the two witnesses to the court saying that the second summons were received only three days before the date of next hearing and they could not make it to Rawalpindi.

The court expressed its anger over the inaction of the SP concerned and sought his written explanation and forwarded a copy of the notice to the CCPO of Karachi.

According to prosecution, Naneh Bhai was kidnapped on Sept 8, 1991 and later his body was found in the room of a hotel in the limits of the Waris Khan police station in Rawalpindi.

The accused, Mohsin Ali and Amir Raza, could not be arrested in the case till Jan 4, 2006.

The Waris Khan police also registered a murder case against the unknown killers.

The Sindh High Court has directed that the two cases — one in ‘Pindi and the other in Karachi — be heard in one court of law, therefore the kidnap case was transferred to the ATC.

The murder case was transferred to a sessions court as terrorism charges could not be levelled in it.

Bus attack case

Meanwhile, the court distributed copies of the charge-sheet to the six men accused of planning and carrying out a suicide attack on a bus of a secret agency and fixed Oct 24 for their formal indictment.

ATC-II Judge Sakhi Muhammad Kahot distributed copies of the charge-sheet against the accused, Niaz Ahmed, Mazharul Haq, Shafiqur Rehman, Abdul Basit, Abdul Sabor and Abdul Majid, for their alleged involvement in the Nov 24, 2007 suicide blast outside Hamza Camp.

These men were arrested by the New Town police in

July this year behind the Rawalpindi Arts Council with explosive materials and later found them involved in the suicide attack.