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Court extends lawyer"s remand in Shazia murder case

Posted on: Sat January 30, 2010

LAHORE: The Cantt Court on Friday extended the physical remand of Advocate Naeem, the main accused in Shazia murder case, by six days.

Human Liberation Commission of Pakistan General Secretary Parvez Aslam Sahootra and National Director for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement Joseph Frances have alleged that PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif had lied about the arrest of the five accused involved in Shazia"s murder when he visited the victims" home.

Amanat, an accomplice of accused Naeem, was not presented in the court. Accused Naeem was brought to the court of judicial magistrate Salim Sheikh from backdoor. A large number of police officials accompanied him. Reporters were not allowed to cover the court proceedings. Relatives of Shazia were also not allowed to attend the court proceedings and they staged a demo outside the court.

Police said reporters were barred from covering the court proceedings on the court order. During the brief hearing, police requested the court to extend the remand of the accused by 10 days, saying the petitioner was collecting evidence. The court, however, extended the remand by six days. 

The HLCP general secretary and the Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement national director on Friday held a press conference at the residence of Shazia. They alleged that the Punjab CM told them that all culprits involved in Shazia murder had been arrested whereas only Naeem was under arrest. They said they did not have faith in police investigation. They said the government and other people influenced the medical board constituted by the Punjab government and it presented a fake report before the court. Sahootra said he himself witnessed that Shazia"s left arm was broken and her bone was protruding out of her skin but this fact was not mentioned in the report presented before the court.

They urged Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take suo moto notice of the issue without caring that Naeem had supported him in the movement for reinstatement of sacked judges. They said certain people in the government were pressuring them to withdraw the case and even not to enter the court premises.

They said they would protest indefinitely if murderers of Shazia were not brought to book. They said all parents who engage their underage children in domestic service should be punished. They said Shazia"s parents, however, should be spared as they were victims of cruelty inflicted on them by Naeem and his accomplices. They said there must be a law to prevent parents from engaging their children in domestic services. Talking to The News, Sahootra alleged that Minorities Minister Kamran Michael and Lahore Bar President Sajid Bashir were trying to "manipulate the facts". He alleged that they were pressuring Bishop John Malik to withdraw.

President Lahore Bar Association Sajid Bashir, in a press statement, has urged the Lahore Bishop to defuse the situation, saying Shazia case had not originated out of bias for any specific community. 

Courtesy : The News