Suspect acquitted due to lack of evidence

Naqvi was accused of being involved in the murder of Sipah Sahaba chief.


Obaid Abbasi March 02, 2011

RAWALPINDI: An accused in the murder case of former leader of Sipah Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Maulana Azam Tariq was acquitted on Tuesday.

Special Judge Anti Terrorism Court Raja Ikhlaq Ahmed acquitted Hamad Riaz Naqvi by giving him benefit of the doubt as the prosecution could not provide sufficient evidence.

The counsel for the defence, Ilyas Siddiqui said his client was falsely identified as one of the assailants who fired at Maulana’s car, but there were no eye witnesses. He added that both doctors who conducted the autopsy and the investigation officer had stated before the court that initially the body of Maulana Tariq was not identifiable as it had received 40 bullets.  The charge against Naqvi was of shooting the former chief of the defunct organisation, SSP.

The acquitted man was arrested from Karachi and later brought to Islamabad in February last year.

Earlier on March 20, 2010, the court acquitted two men, Muhammad Ali and Mudassir Ali, for lack of evidence. In 2006, the court also acquitted another Shia leader Sajid Naqvi. Maulana Azam Tariq from District Jhang was killed along with four gunmen on October 6, 2003.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2011.

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