Malik Muhammad Ishaq, alleged mastermind of the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team at Liberty Chowk in 2009, has been granted bail by the Supreme Court, Lahore registry, after the prosecution failed to prove his involvement.
The division bench comprising Justice MA Shahid Siddiqui and Justice Asif Saeed Khosa reprimanded the prosecution for failing to establish its case and destroying evidence. The bench noted that the prosecution produced only two witnesses who stated that they had overheard a conversation amongst some people planning the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team to secure Ishaq’s freedom.
Ishaq’s counsel, Qazi Misbahul Hassan, argued his client had been imprisoned for over 12 years and the prosecution had failed to produce any cogent evidence which could implicate him in any offence. He said his client had been acquitted in 34 out of 44 cases.
The bench censured an additional prosecutor and remarked, “The judiciary has to face the public’s wrath when the courts release accused persons due to lack of evidence and the prosecution’s incompetence.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2011.
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