ATC extends physical remand of accused in Mustafa Amir murder case

KARACHI: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi has approved the extension of the physical remand of accused Armaghan and Shiraz for five more days in the Mustafa Amir murder case.

It also directed the authorities to conduct a medical examination of both defendants and report its findings before the next hearing.

The case has been widely reported since January 6, when Mustafa Amir, a young man, was kidnapped for allegedly having been murdered by his friends in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). According to the police, Amir’s friends put his body in the trunk of his car and set it ablaze in the Hub area of Balochistan.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Interior has taken notice of the case and, in a letter addressed to the Inspector General (IG), Sindh Police asked him to appear before the committee on February 28, 2025. The IG is asked to present information concerning the case proceedings, Armaghan, and its connections with the drug trade.

Before the ATC hearing, police produced Armaghan and Shiraz before the magisterial court, where the magistrate was highly displeased regarding the investigation officer’s performance.

The court questioned why notifications were not issued to the defense lawyers and why the identification parade of the accused and witness statement under section 164 could not be conducted.