Wali Babar case: Policeman who seized suspect’s car testifies
KARACHI: A police officer who recovered a car reportedly used by one of the accused in the murder trial of Wali Khan Babar testified at the Anti-Terrorism Court-III on Tuesday. The officer narrated how he had received a tip-off about the car and had recovered it, as well as, carried out an initial examination and made the entry in police records.
The proceedings in the trial kicked off again on Tuesday after the December 4 hearing was rescheduled to December 11. At the last hearing on November 28, the officer who was initially assigned to investigate the case told the court about the evidence he had collected at the crime scene.
Wali Khan Babar, a reporter for Geo TV, was shot dead in Karachi on January 13, 2011. The trial is being held inside Central Jail, Karachi, for security reasons, given that all eyewitnesses in the case have been gunned down. The last remaining eyewitness, Haider Ali, was shot dead in Karachi on November 11.
The Sindh High Court had ordered the Anti-Terrorism Court-III on October 19 to wrap up the proceedings within 45 days. The Officer received a tip-off about the car and recovered it. He also carried out an initial examination and made an entry in police records.
The suspects – Muhammad Shahrukh alias Mani, Faisal alias Nafsiyati, Muhammad Shakeel, Naveed Shah alias Polka and Syed Muhammad Ali Rizvi – have been charged with murder and common intent under the Pakistan Penal Code and under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
While one suspect was killed in an alleged encounter with the Darakshan police in March, five other men have been declared fugitives. Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists recently highlighted the Wali Khan Babar murder trial and developments in the case. The next hearing is scheduled for December 19.
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