SHC sets aside conviction of PST worker

Suspect had been sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment for possession of explosive material

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) set aside on Tuesday the conviction of a suspect, believed to be an activist of the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek, in a case relating to the possession of explosive material.

A two-judge anti-terrorism appellate bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui, also ordered the immediate release of the suspect, Imran Ahmed alias Changezi, if his custody was not required in any other case.

He was convicted on October 8, 2016, by Karachi's anti-terrorism court (ATC) - IX for possessing explosive materials and illicit arms. The ATC had sentenced him to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment.



Changezi, however, appealed to the SHC against the conviction. His lawyer, Shujaat Ali, argued that the trial court had erred in convicting him and sending him to jail.

The counsel further argued that the trial court also erred in not appreciating the evidence available, on record, to prove that the prosecution presented a concocted story as it falsely showed the recovery of an Awaran bomb from Changezi's possession, while it was actually a hand-grenade.

After examining the evidence, the court was requested to set aside ATC's judgment and ordered the appellant's release.

The judge noted that the police had levelled false allegations of possession of an Awaran bomb against the appellant. The bench came down hard on police officials for leveling a false allegation and questioned why the case of the recovery of the Awaran bomb was registered instead of the recovery of a hand-grenade.