Nine years later, Atiqa Odho acquitted in liquor recovery case

After nine years, a court in Rawalpindi on Friday acquitted renowned television star Atiqa Odho for allegedly possessing liquor at Islamabad International Airport (IIA) in 2011.

The civil court acquitted Odho for allegedly carrying two bottles of foreign liquor in her bag while she was checking in for Pakistan International Airline's (PIA) Karachi-bound flight PK-301.

Civil Judge Yasir Chaudhry said there was no evidence against the artist.

On June 4, 2011, Odho was stopped at Benazir International Airport when two bottles of foreign liquor were allegedly found in her bag while she was checking in. The liquor was confiscated as per law and she was allowed to go.

At the time, Odho was secretary information of Pervez Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML). Iftikhar Chaudhry, who was CJP back then, took suo motu notice after electronic media had flashed the news.

He asked the police and Customs officials to clarify why no case had been registered against her. Later, Customs officials sent a lawsuit to the Airport police station, which then registered a case against her under Section 3/4 of the Prohibition Order of 1979.

Three days later, the actress acquired interim bail from the court of Rawalpindi Additional Session Judge Iqbal Chadhar. Subsequently, the court restrained the police from arresting or harassing the artist.

Later, the police recorded her statement under Section 161 of the Court of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) and presented the charge sheet after 14 days due to pressure from the Supreme Court.

After appearing in the case regularly for six months, the artist was then granted immunity from appearing before the court until the final verdict.

This was the oldest case in the Rawalpindi civil courts which was pending adjudication, there have been 174 hearings and 12 judges have been changed during the trial.