ATC orders JIT to produce eyewitness in Chinese national blasphemy case

• Court also directs to submit comprehensive report on April 27. 
• Suspect not produced before court due to security reasons. 
• FIR states suspect had uttered “sacrilegious remarks”.

MANSEHRA: Abbottabad anti-terrorism court ordered the joint investigation team to produce an eyewitness and a comprehensive report before it on April 27 in a case related to the blasphemy allegations on a Chinese national, The News reported.

The suspect, who was taken into custody in Upper Kohistan after a mob accused him of blasphemy earlier this week in the Kohistan district, couldn't be produced before the court due to security reasons.

Judge Sajjad Ahmad Jan on Thursday ordered JIT to record the statement of the basic witness in the case, Yasir Ali, a translator employed as a welder by profession at the Dasu Hydropower Project.

The court also ordered JIT to submit the report along with witnesses and the Chinese national as it could hear the partial arguments in such a situation where eyewitnesses couldn’t be produced before it.

Advocate Mohammad Yusuf submitted the memo of appearance on behalf of the main eyewitnesses in the case including Gulistan, Abdul Qadir, Shafiqur Rehman alias Shafi and Yasir Ali known to be a translator in the first information report lodged with Kamila Police Station in Upper Kohistan.

He pleaded with the judge that his clients couldn’t appear before the court on this hearing owing to the blockade of the Karakoram Highway at various places in Upper Kohistan, and he would also submit power of attorney on the next hearing and produce the former in court.

Kamila Station House Officer (SHO) Naseerudden, who is the main complainant in the case, appeared in court with relevant records.

Advocates Atif Ali Jadoon, Mohammad Arif Masud and the deputy public prosecutor appeared in the court on behalf of the accused Chinese national. The members of Ulema jirga including Maulana Attaur Rehman, Maulana Waliullah Tohidi, Maulana Malik Umar, Maulana Abdul Aziz and Abdul Jabar were also present in the court.

The jirga had earlier decided to plead the case in court on behalf of the Kohistan people.

The FIR of the incident was registered under sections 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

It quoted some workers and their interpreters as saying that the suspect had uttered “sacrilegious remarks” when they sought a break to offer prayers.

According to the FIR, police were informed on Sunday night about a mob trying to force their way into a Chinese camp near Barseen. A police party rushed to the place, cordoned off the area, took into custody the suspect and shifted him to the Kamila Police Station.