Court acquits MQM's Afaq, others in container burning case

The special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday acquitted MQM Chairman Afaq Ahmed and 11 co-accused in the case concerning the torching of a container in Landhi.

The special court, ATC-15, located within the Karachi Central Jail Anti-Terrorism Complex, heard the case. Afaq Ahmed appeared before the court accompanied by his legal team.

The court ultimately cleared Afaq and the 11 others, citing a lack of compelling evidence. Other defendants acquitted were Muhammad Danish, Muhammad Yousuf Chandio, Muhammad Huzaifa, Khurram Akhtar, Sadaan Ahmed, Irfan Ali, Abdul Hafeez, Adnan, Majid, Asad alias Bala, and Raees Ahmed Qureshi.

A crucial development in the trial was that the case's complainant, Danish, along with three other prosecution witnesses, retracted their identification of Afaq Ahmed and the others during their testimony.

Defence counsel, Javed Chhatari and Khurram advocates, successfully argued that the charges against Afaq were politically motivated and that the evidence presented failed to substantiate the presence of the accused at the scene.