ATC accepts interim charge sheet in Shahid Hamid murder case

Housed inside the city’s central prison, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the Shahid Hamid murder case on Wednesday accepted interim charge sheet and fixed October 6 as the next date of hearing.

Along with an arrested Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) activist, Minhaj Qazi alias Asad, another accused, Mehboob Ghufran, was also produced before the trail court. The court was told that the Jamshoro police on Saturday arrested Ghufran in Kortri and he was wanted by the Karachi police for the murder of the managing director of the defunct Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC), Shahid Hamid, his guard and driver in 1997.

At a previous hearing on August 30, the ATC concerned indicted Minhaj Qazi in the same case. Qazi, who is stated to be a former in-charge of the MQM headquarters, Nine Zero, pleaded not guilty. Upon this plea, the court summoned the prosecution witnesses to record their statements at the next hearing.

Saulat Mirza, a dissident MQM worker who was convicted in the triple murder case, was hanged at Central Machh Jail in Balochistan on May 11 last year. The then SHO of Gulbahar Police Station, Mohammad Aslam Khan, popularly known as Chaudhry Aslam, had arrested Mirza at the Karachi airport in December 1998. Mirza had confessed to killing Hamid and also named his accomplices.

According to the prosecution, the offence was carried out to avenge the removal of MQM supporters from the KESC by the victim. The ATC has earlier initiated proceedings for declaring MQM founder Altaf Hussain, Nadeem Nusrat, Rashid Akhtar alias Shaikh, Athar Hussian and Sohail Zaidi proclaimed offenders. Hamid, his driver and guard were shot dead in the Defence area on July 5, 1997.