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       KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday sent a union committee chairman and 13 other suspects to prison on judicial remand in a case pertaining to the lynching of an Ahmadi man.

       The investigating officer (IO) Syed Shahid Hussain brought Kharadar UC Chairman Yasir Akhtari among 14 other suspects before an administrative judge of ATCs, inside the judicial complex at Central Prison.

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       The IO informed the court that during the initial grilling the 14 arrested suspects disclosed their affiliation with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan and alleged that the deceased had allegedly committed blasphemy.

       The officer added that the other six suspects had obtained pre-arrest bail from the court, while the remaining others were still at large and needed to be arrested.

       He requested the court to grant 14-day physical remand of the 14 suspects — who were arrested in separate raids — for further interrogation and to check their criminal records.

       However, the court rejected IO’s request and sent the suspects on judicial remand.

       In its order, the court directed the superintendent of Central Prison to keep the suspects in custody and produce them before the court whenever required.

       A case was registered at the Preedy police station on the complaint of victim Laeeq Ahmed Cheema’s cousin, Abdul Naeem, under Sections 302 (premeditated murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, against 15 individuals.

       Mr Naeem stated in the FIR that after getting some information through social media, he came to know that 15 men — Abdul Qadir, Mohammad Saleem, Mohammad Noman, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Shahid, Ghulam Akbar, Mohammad Shahbaz, Mohammad Mobin, Inayat Rehman, Riaz Raza, Yasir Akhtiari, Ilyas alias Pardesi, Riaz Ahmed, Inayat and Hamza Ashrafi — had brutally murdered his cousin at Hashu Centre in Saddar.

       He further stated that his cousin was a witness in a case against some of the nominated suspects and had appeared in court on the morning of April 18, where the accused individuals threatened him with dire consequences.

       Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2025