The administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts (ATCs) has transferred the high-profile case of the murder of teenaged student Jazlan Faisal to the ATC-XVI for the trial of five suspects.
Nineteen-year-old Faisal was shot dead and his 20-year-old friend Shah Mir Ali wounded in a housing society shooting on the Super Highway after a quarrel over rash driving on May 25. Hasnain Faiz, along with his father Muhammad Faiz, brothers Irfan Faiz, Ahsan Faiz and their friend Inshal, has been charged with murder. The investigating officer (IO) last week filed the final charge sheet before the judge against the three brothers, their father and friend over alleged abetment and murder of the teenager. Subsequently, the administrative judge transferred the case to the ATC-XVI for their trial.In the charge sheet, the IO concluded that the teen’s murder was an act of terrorism and he had therefore added Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the Anti-Terrorism Act to the case.
He said the fleeing suspect, Muhammad Ahsan, shot dead Faisal on being instigated by his father Muhammad Faiz over a trivial dispute. Ahsan fired shot with a calibre 0.9mm pistol, which is registered in the name of his father, while his friend Ishal also fired shots with a cliber 0.30 bore pistol on Shah Mir and wounded him.
He said the suspects fired shots on the victims with an intent to kill them and caused terror in the locality while Irfan beat them up after intercepting their car. The IO said Muhammad Faiz instigated his sons to murder the victim and injure his friend by giving them his own licensed pistol.
The charge sheet said he later hid the weapon and got registered a fake report about his pistol having been stolen at the A-Section police station in Ghotki. Ahsan, the fleeing suspect, his brothers Irfan and Hasnain, and their friend Inshal have been found guilty of the alleged commission of the offence of murder. Faiz has been found guilty of aiding and abetting the heinous crime by hiding the evidence.
An FIR was initially lodged under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the Gadap City police station on the complaint of the decease victim’s paternal uncle Arif Sabir.
However, sections 109 (punishment for abetment) and 114 (abettor present when offence is committed), 216 (penalty for harbouring robbers or dacoits) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees of the PPC and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 were incorporated in the final charge sheet.
