KARACHI, Feb 14: The administrative judge of the anti-terrorism courts, Justice Salman Ansari of the Sindh High Court, on Saturday gave two more days to police investigators to submit a charge-sheet against policemen of the anti-car lifting cell allegedly involved in the killing of four traders in a ‘fake’ encounter.

A suspended inspector and four other policemen of the ACLC police station have been allegedly involved in killing of the traders – Haji Mohammad Tahir Achakzai, Obaidullah Khan Tareen, Mohammad Ibrahim Achakzai and Zainuddin Khan Achakzai – in an alleged encounter on Khalid bin Walid Road on Dec 31, 2008.

Two of the traders died on the spot while the others succumbed to their wounds at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre the same night. The action attracted serious criticism and the city police chief later suspended the ACLC raiding team.

A case against the policemen was lodged at Ferozeabad police station under Section 319 (Qatl-i-Khata or unintentional murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code after a departmental inquiry concluded that the four traders lost their lives due to the criminal intention of the police party.

However, acting on the orders of the Supreme Court, another case under Section 302 (intentional murder) of the PPC was lodged against the policemen on the complaint of Haji Lala Khan, the father of one of the victims.

On Saturday, the investigation officer of the case, Sajjad Raza, appeared in court and submitted that the identification parade of the suspects had not yet been conducted. Claiming that the investigation process was still under way and that it could take a few more days, he sought further time for submission of the charge-sheet.