Two accused in aiding a suicide bombing set free

Court cites lack of evidence, police were earlier convinced of involvement.

ISLAMABAD:

A trial court on Thursday acquitted two men accused of abetting a suicide attack, giving them the benefit of the doubt.  The two suspects, who had been arrested for their involvement in a suicide attack on Rescue 15 police in June 2009, were released after “the prosecution failed to come up with sufficient evidence against them.”

Special Judge Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) Raja Ikhlaq Ahmed passed the verdict on Thursday. Two police officials had been killed in the attack in sector G-8.

Police had charged Mustafa and Rehman with providing sanctuary to the suicide bomber and facilitating the actual attack.

In November 2009, police had arrested Jamshed alias Tahir, an alleged mastermind of the suicide attacks on the offices of the World Food Programme and the Rescue 15 police. Police said Jamshed was a member of the Ghazi Force and had helped Haroon, the suicide bomber, in his attack on the police building.

He had transported the suicide vest and the bomber to Islamabad from Orakzai Agency and then handed them over to Mustafa and Rehman. The two then carried out reconnaissance and made arrangements such as providing transportation to facilitate Haroon with the attack, police had claimed.

The two suspects were arrested from sector G-11 in April 2010 on the information provided by Jamshed during investigations. “The police investigations had confirmed that the two were involved in handling and facilitating Haroon and had links to terrorist outfits like Ghazi Force,” said a police official on the condition of anonymity.

However, the counsel for defence, Basharatullah Khan argued, “Terming my clients as facilitators of a suicide attack during the identification parade does not constitute incriminating evidence since their performa had already been filled in by a magistrate in a pre-planned attempt to implicate them.”

He told the court that the prosecution had been unable to establish a link between his client and the attackers.

Ghulam Mustafa had moved the Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench against his arrest in August last year. Later, the case was transferred to the anti-terrorism court. The ppolice had informed the court that Mustafa was wanted in an attack on Rescue 15.

However, Mustafa’s name was also present in a list of missing persons prior to his declared arrest in April 2010 by the Islamabad police in what they said was a joint operation with the Crime Investigation Department.

Mustafa’s family continued to insist that he had gone missing from his house during the Lal Masjid operation. They suspected that he had been picked up by the law enforcement agencies and was being kept in illegal detention.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 01^st, 2011.