KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court issued on Monday non-bailable warrants of arrest for two suspects said to be affiliated with a banned sectarian outfit, allegedly involved in the murder of a journalist.
The ATC-II issued warrants for Adeel Raza Zaidi and Salman Raza as police submitted the charge sheet of the case. Another suspect, Zeeshan Haider Zaidi, is in custody in connection with the killing.
Zeeshan’s arrest was revealed by the counter terrorism department in September, two weeks after journalist Aftab Alam was gunned down outside his house in North Karachi. The prosecution maintains that the suspects belonged to the defunct Shia militant group Sipah-i-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP).
The arrested suspect has confessed in police custody that he, in collusion with his absconding accomplices, killed Alam, the investigators claim.
Zeeshan, who is an employee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, is said to be the leader of a target killing team of the SMP and is accused of killing at least five people on sectarian grounds in the city this year.
The court has ordered the police to arrest the absconding suspects and present them on next hearing of the case on January 15, 2016.
