RAWALPINDI, Jul 07 (APP):The Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of the 19-year-old newlywed Sidra Arab murder case until July 14, following an objection raised by the defense counsel against the inclusion of terrorism provisions. The nominated suspects appeared before the court during the hearing. Defense counsel Basharatullah Khan challenged the invocation of sections 7-ATA and 11-WW of the Anti-Terrorism Act, arguing that no evidence existed …
Sidra Arab murder case hearing adjourned until July 14
RAWALPINDI, Jul 07 (APP):The Special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Rawalpindi on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of the 19-year-old newlywed Sidra Arab murder case until July 14, following an objection raised by the defense counsel against the inclusion of terrorism provisions.
The nominated suspects appeared before the court during the hearing. Defense counsel Basharatullah Khan challenged the invocation of sections 7-ATA and 11-WW of the Anti-Terrorism Act, arguing that no evidence existed to justify the application of terrorism clauses to the case.
The prosecution requested a brief adjournment to submit a formal response to the defense’s objections, which the court accepted before rescheduling the next hearing. The murder case, centered around a jirga decree, was recently transferred from the Sessions Court to the ATC after charges relating to terrorism and lynching were added.
According to the prosecution, 19-year-old Sidra Arab was strangled to death during the night of July 16 and 17 last year, and the suspects allegedly obliterated all burial marks to hide the grave. A total of 14 suspects, including the victim’s father, uncle, former husband, and a graveyard secretary, have been nominated in the case.
