Altaf Hamid Rao
MIRPUR [Parliament Times): The Supreme Court of Azad Jammu Kashmir on Wednesday dismissed the petition seeking bail for release of the AJK Higher Education minister Malik Zaffar Iqbal, recently convicted and awarded life term by AJK High Court in the famous Asif Shah murder case in Kotli district of AJK.
The counsels including Ch. Shoukat Aziz. Khawaja Atta Ullah, Raja Inam Ullah Khan, Ch. Maqbool Elahi and Raja Shafaat Kiyani appeared on behalf of the petitioner – the minister Zaffar Iqbal Mallick, convicted in the murder charge by the AJK High Court last month.
The Advocates Raja Sajaad, Baber Ali Khan, Mujahid Hussain Naqvi and Ch. Ahmed Ali represented the defendant – the slain Asif Shah, in the court. Advocate General Chaudhry Maqbool War appeared on behalf of the State.
It may be added that the lawyers of the either side had raised objection over the initial 03-member bench of the apex court with the plea that the Judge Justice Muhammad Younis Tahir had served as lawyer in this case in the past. Following objection by the parties, Justice Muhammad Younis Tahir had himself separated from the preliminary 03-member bench. It may be recalled that the High Court of Azad Jammu & Kashmir had, on August 03 this year, awarded 14-years life term and fine for Rs. One million to the principal accused Malik Zaffar Iqbal, the sitting minister for higher education in the PTI-led government of Azad Jammu Kashmir.
The two-member bench of the learned AJK High Court comprising Justice Sardar Ejaz and Justice Khalid Rasheed Chaudhry had announced the verdict convicting and awarding life penalty to Zaffar Iqbal Malick the incumbent minister for Higher Education of AJK government, in the famous murder case of a local young man Ameer Asif Shah registered in Kotli district of Azad Jammu Kashmir. “In our considered view, prosecution by cropping direct evidence prove the guilt of the accused leveled in F.I.R hence, accused Zaffar Iqbal was liable to be convicted under section 302-APC but the learned Sessions Judge anomalously acquitted him merely by the relying on medical evidence and for the reason that from the point No. 9 whereby the accused was standing and point No. 1 where the deceased was targeted was not visible, and illegal discarded the evidence of eye-witnesses”. the learned AJK HC had said in its judgment.
According to the prosecution the principal accused of the case Malik Zaffar Iqbal had assassinated a local young lad Ameer Asif Shah 19 years ago. The convicted accused Malik Zaffar Iqbal had been elected as member of Azad Jammu Kashmir Legislative Assembly from the candidature of Pakistan Tehreek –e- Insaf, Azad Jammu Kashmir from the constituency LA-08 Rajmahal area of Kotli district in the AJK general elections held on July 25 last year.