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Iqbal Raad laid to rest

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Iqbal Raad, one of the defence counsel in the October 12 plane conspiracy case against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and six others, was on Saturday buried at about 2:30 p.m. in the Defence Phase-1 graveyard.

Raad and two other persons were killed on Friday afternoon by unidentified gunmen at his Paradise Centre office.

Funeral prayers for Iqbal Raad were offered at Masjid-e-Abubakr. The burial was largely attended by lawyers, politicians, journalists, friends and relatives.

Police of District South has made tight security arrangements for the funeral, besides special guard at Iqbal Raad's house.

Soyem of Iqbal Raad will be held on Sunday at his residence behind Defence Library after Zohar prayers.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that no decision has so far been taken on the request of a senior advocate and defence counsel Khawaja Sultan to shift the venue for further hearings in the plane conspiracy case from Karachi to a comparatively safer city of Pakistan.

So far the prosecution has maintained that the case has reached at a stage, where its shifting to another city would not be possible. If the venue is not shifted, the prosecution would begin arguments in the case on Monday at 8:30 a.m.

Police sources said some of suspects had been picked up for interrogation to trace the killers of Raad. However, no headway had so far been made, sources admitted.

Police sources said the investigation team constituted to investigate into the murder of Iqbal Raad had made necessary preparations to begin its work.

Following its routine, Karachi police rounded up 34 criminals, recovered five pistols, one rifle, one dagger, eight bottles of liquor, 24 gm heroin, 290 gram charas, stolen computers, 20 kg iron scrap and some stake money from gambling dens, police sources said.