[DAWN] LAHORE: The prime complainant in the Zain murder case retracted his earlier recorded statement before an anti-terrorism (ATC) court on Saturday.Sohail Afzal, uncle of 16-year-old orphan Zain, who was shot dead by Mustafa Kanju earlier in April, retracted his earlier signed statement which he had submitted to police.
"I was in hospital at the time, and the police took my signature on a blank piece of paper," said Afzal before the presiding judge of ATC.
Referring to Mustafa Kanju, Afzal said, "I do not know these people and have not seen them before."
Afzal also said that he did not register the First Information Report (FIR) for the incident and refused to identify Mustafa Kanju, the key accused in the case.
The prosecution on the other hand, has submitted an appeal in Lahore High Court (LHC) asking for the court to be changed. There will be a hearing in LHC regarding the appeal on September 21.
Earlier in June, the ATC had indicted Mustafa Kanju and six others accused in the murder case of Zain.
Mustafa Kanju, son of former minister of foreign affairs Siddique Kanju, had confessed to firing the fatal shots that ended Zain's life. He had said that Zain was not the target of the fire, nor did he intend to kill Zain or anyone else.
Kanju was earlier sent on a judicial remand to allow the police to collect evidence pertaining to the investigation in order to frame charges against Kanju.
He was arrested after a case was registered against him under Section 7-ATA and Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Enraged after his luxury car accidentally hit the vehicle of a woman in Cavalry Ground area of Punjab's provincial capital city on April 1 Kanju had resorted to gunfire. Zain was hit and died on the spot and Husnain was critically injured after they were hit by gunfire.
Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had taken notice of the incident, ordered the arrest of the suspect and announced Rs0.5m for the family of the deceased. He also assured them of the provision of justice.
