Prosecutor seeks murder, terrorist charges against suspects of manslaughter in Quetta's guest house.

KARACHI: On Tuesday, a prosecutor recommended trial of 10 suspects on the charges of murder and terrorism over the death of six members of a family allegedly due to inhaling poisonous gas at a guest house.

In a case related to the death of six family members, this recommendation came in a note prepared by state prosecutor Shahid Mahmood Arain after scrutinising the investigation report prepared by the related investigating officer. The family was staying at the Qasr-i-Naz government guest house on Feb 22, during their visit to the city.

Pakistan Public Works Department's chief engineer Nadeem Akhtar Shaikh, assistant executive engineer Zakir Hussain, overseer Mehram Ali Brohi, controller of the guest house Sikandar Hayat, contractor Sanobar Ahmed Khan, guest house's caretaker Nisar Ahmed Awan, room waiter Sajjad Hussain, receptionist Abdul Hameed Khan, sweepers Pervaiz Bhatti and Hira Nand have been booked for manslaughter and selling toxic food or drink.

Six members of a family from Quetta died due to inhaling poisonous gas

The chemical analysis of the other material, including the footage of the CCTV installed at the guest house, samples from the bodies of the victims from the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, and the Forensic Science Laboratory, Lahore, were made by the efforts of the IO, said the prosecutor.

He said the IO recorded statements of the suspects and witnesses, who later also testified before a judicial magistrate. In their statements, the guest house's staff said they saw some insects in room 58-A and informed the management about it.

Two eyewitnesses -- Mohammad Yousaf and Mohammad Arif -- disclosed in their statements that at 1pm or 1.30pm on Feb 21 contractor Nisar Ahmed took aluminium phosphide tablets (poison) from the store and kept/applied it in room 58-A without any recommendation or advice of the competent authority or department. He did not mention these facts in record nor did he label the door of the room by adopting proper measures and precautions, the prosecutor wrote.

He further wrote that in the reports of KU's HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry and the director of the FSL Lahore, it was clearly mentioned that active aluminium phosphide was found in the incriminating articles and viscera of the victims.

The prosecutor said that from the investigation report it seemed that suspect Nisar fumigated the poisonous substance (aluminium phosphide) in the room without necessary...