Terrorism charge dropped in Murree clash

In a legal development, the terrorism charge under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) has been dropped from the high-profile case relating to an armed clash between two groups of traders in Murree earlier this year.

Judge Syed Amjad Shah of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), Rawalpindi, ordered the removal of the terrorism provisions from the case, which had been registered at Murree Police Station under charges including terrorism and attempted murder.

The court subsequently transferred the matter to the Court of the Civil Judge, Murree, for trial under the remaining offences.

The case was registered on the complaint of the police following an exchange of gunfire and violent clashes between two factions of the Anjuman Tajran Murree on Mall Road.

The incident had led to several days of heightened tension across Murree's main commercial areas.

The accused, Tufail Akhlaq and Abdul Hameed Abbasi, challenged the inclusion of terrorism charges before the ATC. Their counsel, Supreme Court Advocate Asad Abbasi, argued that the case was of an ordinary criminal nature and that the Murree Police had added terrorism provisions on a retaliatory basis.