LAHORE:
A Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) activist was acquitted on Friday by an Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) despite confessing to the Faisalabad police that he was involved in six bomb blast cases.
Qari Asmatullah allegedly involved in the 2009 suicide attack on a police check post at Babu Sabu and five other attacks in Lahore including the R A Bazaar and Liberty Chowk blasts, was allowed to go free, because the police failed to provide any incriminating evidence about his involvement in the attack.
While submitting a report to ATC Special Judge Abdul Rehman Khan, the Lahore police conceded that during the investigation they could not come up with any evidence which could prove Asmatullah’s hand in the suicide attack.
A member of the investigating team confirmed to The Express Tribune that after a 14-day physical remand of Asmatullah the Lahore police failed to prove any charges against him.
The acquittal came even though Asmatullah had confessed to his involvement in six bomb blasts, according to a member of the investigating team.
Asmatullah was accused of multiple offences, including those of being in possession of hand grenades, illegal weapons and of involvement in a police encounter. He has been detained under these charges in the Faisalabad jail since March 2012.
He was brought to the Punjab capital two weeks ago by the Lahore police, investigating high-profile cases of terrorism and kidnapping for ransom.
He was interrogated by the Lahore police about the Babu Sabu attack in which two suicide bombers blew themselves up leaving four civilians and three policemen injured.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2012.
COMMENTS (11)
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This situation where law of land is incapable to persecute the known terrorists will lead to complete anarchy & demoralization of Law Enforcing Agencies. The Government should either legislate to deal with menace of terrorism or establish Military Courts (only for terrorist related cases). Everyone must understand, Pakistan is going through extra ordinary security threats therefore require special measures.
On your face free judiciary. Hang innocent people like rimsha and free murderer and traitor like taliban and zardari.
This is not new because if target killers can be freed in Karachi due to the lack enough/sufficient proofs then they also can be freed....
So "Qari" goes back to his usual activities! No wonders about police encounters!
The courts could find evidence of bribery by Malik but could not find any proof against Arsalan Iftikhar receiving these bribes, Malik gets arrest warrant but not The Innocent Arsalan!!! Very fair justice, isn't it?
Well, there is nothing new. Not a single person from any terrorist group has been convicted and found guilty in Pakistan. "Where is the proof?", "Lack of evidence", "we categoricaly deny" are commonly used sentences. On the same subject, India should not expect any concrete result in Mumbai attack case. It is simply waste of time by Pakistan authorities.
Now in case of lack of evidence police should do the work of judges and encounter such eliments with due public support .
I think confession was enough to convict.But such acts and response g by the judiciary raises infinite questions in one's minds.They get enough evidence to convict in all the politically motivated cases that least cure the wounds of a common man but they dot find enough evidence to concvict the terrorists.Our police has no doubt been the centre of criticism but our Respected Judiciary needs to support them too.Both these arms of law no doubt have to work in close collaboration to secure our lives
This is not the weakness of judicial officers, but lack on the efficiency of law enforcing agencies who have nothing to produce in court as an evidence. One has to revamp the whole police syste. Their way of the investigation, collection of evidence from crime scene, intelligence network, protection of witnesses, introduction of forensic education and above all of them the HUMAN RESOURCE of all police department from constable to IGs and their bosses. Whether some one has the vision of will to do it and whether it is possible in current regimes.
Loopholes in the law and the lawmakers do nothing except play football outside the assembly with lotay. . Poor conviction rate...poor prosecution dept and nothing is done about it. . Extremely poor forensics. They don't even isolate the scene properly what to talk of forensics. . The judges can only rule on what is presented before them and what is written in the law. No wonder they're all going free again. Poor performance by the two arms of the law.
no police in the world can give evidence in terrorist activities only confission is enough another feather in the juduciary cap shame to our judiciary