KARACHI, Jan 17: An additional district and sessions judge (south) directed the interior secretary on Saturday to submit a comprehensive report till Feb 7 with regard to the issuance of red warrants and their execution through Interpol for four accused allegedly involved in a 1999 case relating to an attempt on the life of President Asif Ali Zardari, who was then in jail custody.

Former chairman of Ehtesab Bureau Saifur Rehman Khan, his brother, Mujibur Rehman Khan, former Sindh police chief Rana Maqbool, former DIG Farooq Amin Qureshi and former SP of Karachi central prison Najaf Mirza are facing charges of unlawfully obtaining Mr Zardari’s physical custody from an anti-terrorism court on the night between May 15 and May 16, 1999, taking him to the CIA centre and torturing him to extract incriminatory statements. Mr Zardari’s tongue was reportedly slashed and he bled profusely, but the police refused to register an FIR against the then IG and covered up the incident as an attempt to commit suicide by the victim.

On Dec 20, the court had directed the interior ministry to submit a complete report with regard to the issuance and execution of the red warrants till Jan 17. However, when the hearing began on Saturday the public prosecutor, Abdul Maroof, appeared in court and sought more time. He said that the court warrants, photographs, whereabouts and other information about four of the five absconding accused had been collected by the interior ministry and the required information was being sent to Interpol.

Judge Nizar Ali Khawaja gave 20 days to the interior ministry and directed the interior secretary to submit a comprehensive report on the next date of hearing.

The court also extended till Feb 7 the pre-arrest bail of the accused, Najaf Mirza.

Gang-rape case

The same court adjourned the hearing of Nasima Labano gang-rape case till Jan 24.

The SHO of Ubaro police station submitted a report in court regarding the death of an accused, Loung Khan.

Nasima Labano, daughter of Hamzu, was subjected to sexual assault after being kidnapped from her native village in Ghotki on Jan 27, 2007 by 11 accused.

Later, a case was registered under the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979, and the Pakistan Penal Code at Ubaro police station on the complaint of the victim’s father.

The police had arrested seven accused Loung Khan, Anwar Hussain, Ali Hussain, Shah Baig, Shah Zada, Bashir Ahmed, and Abdul Jabbar on March 3, 2007 while the remaining accused persons were declared absconders.

Meanwhile, the gang-rape case of Kainat Soomro was also adjourned till Jan 24.

She was gang-raped by three men in 2007 in the Mehar village of Dadu after being kidnapped from her home.

Both the cases were transferred to Karachi on the orders of the Sindh High Court since the victims’ families moved the transfer applications.