Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to Home Department Sindh, Prosecutor General Sindh and others on a plea pertaining to transfer of Naqeebullah Mahsood murder case from Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). Father of Naqeebulllah Mahsood filed the petition in the SHC showing distrust over the ATC, which is hearing the case of murder of Naqeebullah Mahsood, who was killed in an allegedly police encounter in Karachi.
A single bench of the SHC headed by Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh also issued notice to Rao Anwar, former SSP Malir, who is accused in the murder of Naqeebullah Mahsood. Counsel Faisal Siddiqui Advocate pleaded that the conduct of the ATC hearing the case of Naqeebullah murder is partial and submitted that the ATC granted the bail to Rao Anwar despite the fact that the petition was under hearing in the court. "The main accused Rao Anwar is not being treated as an accused in this murder case," he added.
He stated that his client has not trust in the said ATC and prayed that Naqeebulah murder case should be transferred to some other court for fair trial. The single bench of the SHC issued notices to Home Department Sindh, Prosecutor General Sindh and others along with Rao Awnar. The court directed them to furnish their replies in the court by August 20.
Meanwhile, the SHC ordered National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit the reply in the next hearing about the illegal appointments in Karachi Port Trust (KPT) case, in which former Director General Rauf Akhtar Farooqi sought the bail The court granted the time after NAB sought more time to submit its reply and was directed to furnish it when the court would resume the hearing on August 20.
Rauf Akhtar Farooqi has been charged for making illegal appointments in KPT.
The NAB prosecutor stated that there are strong evidences of illegal appointments in KPT and said that matters has been referred to NAB headquarter for filing of reference against the accused persons in this case. The NAB prosecutor told the court that these appointments were made in the tenure of Babar Khan Ghauri as Federal Minister for Ports & Shipping and said that he could not be arrested as he is abroad. The court directed NAB to submit its reply by August 20 when it would take up the hearing again.