IO once again fails to produce witnesses in Saddar blast case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) repeated summons against prosecution witnesses after the investigation officer once again failed to produce them in a case pertaining to an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Saddar.

Sabir Kharal, said to be associated with the outlawed Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army (SRA), has been charged with the May 12, 2022 blast on Daud Pota Road that killed a passer-by and wounded several others.

A number of vehicles, including one belonging to the Pakistan Coast Guards, were also damaged in the explosion.

The ATC-XII judge was on leave as the jail authorities produced the sole detained suspect. The investigating officer, Jameel Ahmed Soomro, turned up in the court as no witness was in attendance.

The court repeated summons against the prosecution witnesses and set February 21 as the next date for hearing.

An FIR was registered under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 324 (attempted murder), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code and Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substance Act read with Sections 11-N and 11-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act by the Counter-Terrorism Department.

In April last year, accused Sabir was acquitted in a case lodged by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) for possessing a hand grenade within the jurisdiction of the Kalri police station in May 2022.