ATC retakes Rashid Rauf’s case, adjourns hearing till 13th

RAWALPINDI: Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Safdar Hussain Malik started hearing of a case against Rashid Rauf, a prime suspect in the British airliner terror plot, for the second time on Friday and adjourned the proceedings till February 13.

The ATC had referred the case to the Rawalpindi District and Sessions Court on December 13, 2006, declaring that terrorism charges against Rauf had been unfounded and an ordinary court should hear the case.

The investigation officer did not produce Rauf in court on Friday, saying that the federal government had issued Rauf’s three-month detention order.

Rauf lawyer Hashmat Habib told the court that he had not been informed about the remand of the case back to the ATC and that the Punjab prosecutor general had filed an application in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the deletion of terrorism charges against his client. He said that the Punjab prosecutor general was not eligible to file an application against his client in the LHC because he was a government employee. He said a legal inspector had told the District and Sessions Court on February 1 that the case should be referred to the ATC according to a ruling of the LHC. Habib said that he would file a contempt of court case against the Punjab home secretary and other officials including the Punjab prosecutor general for filing the application in the LHC against the deletion of terrorism charges against Rauf. staff report

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