ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directives authorities to make the reports of two joint investigation teams (JITs) formed to probe the high-profile murder of Perween Rehman part of its record.
Rahman, head of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), was gunned down near her office in Orangi Town on March 13, 2013.
The bench, headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial, called for both reports to be presented in the trial court hearing the case within two weeks to review them as per law. It further ruled that if need be, the trial may issue necessary directives in light of these reports.
The apex court further instructed the trial court to wrap up the trial at the earliest.
In 2018, five suspects — Abdul Raheem Swati, his son Mohammad Imran Swati, Ayaz Shamzai alias Swati, Amjad Hussain Khan, and Ahmed Khan alias Ahmed Ali alias Pappu Kashmiri — were charged with the murder.
According to the prosecution, some of the detained accused during interrogation had confessed to their involvement in the crime and disclosed that local leaders of the Awami National Party (ANP) had hired Taliban militants to kill her.
The trial in the case remained stalled for around one and half years following a restraining order passed by the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the passing of the judgement without recording evidence of the heads of three JITs.
The judge of the ATC-XIII already recorded statements of the accused persons when the proceedings got stalled.
Later in September, the apex court directed Karachi’s Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) XIII judge to conclude the trial within one month since a fourth joint investigation of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had concluded reinvestigation on the directives of the court.
