MQM worker Syed Waqas Ali Shah. PHOTO: MQM
Twenty-five-year-old Waqas Shah was shot dead on March 11 this year when Rangers raided the MQM headquarters. He was protesting against the paramilitary soldiers for arresting party leaders and workers during the raid when a bullet him in the head.
The MQM blamed the Rangers for killing its young political activist. The paramilitary force, on the other hand, refuted the allegations. They maintained that the weapon, a 9mm pistol, used in the attack was not carried by any of their personnel.
Eyewitnesses identify MQM activist as Waqas Shah's killer
Three months later, the Rangers claimed that they have arrested the alleged killer from Shahdadpur in rural Sindh. The suspect was identified as Syed Asif Ali, an MQM worker.
According to the paramilitary force, the suspect was trying to get away with the murder by going in hiding. The statement issued by the Rangers alleged that two top leaders of the party, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Farooq Sattar, were aware of the fact that Ali killed Shah.
One dead, several injured as Rangers raid MQM headquarters
Ali, when presented before the court, also denied the charges and insisted that he was not arrested from Shahdadpur. He claimed that the Rangers had picked him up from Karachi after the raid and kept him confined.
At the outset of Saturday's hearing, the ATC IX judge, Farman Ali Kanasro, read out the charges to the suspect. Ali maintained that he was never involved in the murder and was implicated falsely.
After fulfilling the formality, the judge took cognisance of the case and indicted the suspect. From now on, the court will hear testimonies of the witnesses linked in the case. There are around 14 witnesses, including law enforcers and some residents of the area, named in the charge sheet.
During the initial stage, as a procedure, two witnesses have already picked out Ali as the killer during an identification parade before a district Central judicial magistrate. Their testimonies will be cross-checked during the trial.
The court will also examine the veracity of the forensic report of the weapon allegedly used in the killing. The weapon was recovered from a nullah in Yasinabad. The seizure was done reportedly on the lead given by the suspect.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 15th, 2015.
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