Co-accused in DHA double murder case released on bail

The jail authorities released from prison on Monday a man standing trial as a co-accused in a double murder case in Defence Housing Authority after the court cleared his bail in both the cases against him.

Adil Zaman has been accused of abetting his brother Atif Zaman, the prime suspect, to commit the murders of anchorperson Mureed Abbas and businessperson Khizar Hayat, in DHA on July 9, 2019.

Last week, the additional district and sessions judge South Aurangzeb Shah had granted bail to Adil in the auxiliary case, pertaining to letting his brother use his licensed weapon to do the killings.

The judge had ordered him to submit a surety of Rs50,000 with the court in order to secure his release on bail. He had been granted bail in the main murders case by the Sindh High Court earlier.

Meanwhile, the trial court has fixed the Zaman brothers indictment for the murders on July 2, after adjourning the hearing yet again on the previous date because the defence side did not show up.

According to the charge sheet, Atif called Abbas and Hayat, who were his business partners, to different places in DHA on the pretext of returning some of the amount he owed them. He first allegedly shot Hayat at a signal and later went to kill Abbas in an office. CCTV footages show Adil accompanying Atif during this spree.

The FIRs in the murder case were registered under sections 302 (premeditated murder), 325 (attempt to commit suicide) of the Pakistan Penal Code and section 23(1)a of the Sindh Arms Act at the Darakhshan police station.