Two acquitted in AC murder case

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has acquitted a man and his son who were sentenced to life imprisonment and death, respectively, for the murder of Assistant Commissioner Jhang Imran Jaffar.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry and Justice Sardar Akbar Ali Dogar allowed appeals filed by Asghar Ali and his son Sohail Asghar and set aside the judgment of the Sessions Court, Chiniot.

In its detailed judgment issued on Friday, the bench observed that the prosecution had failed to reliably establish the presence of alleged eyewitnesses at the crime scene. It also noted contradictions between witness statements and medical evidence.

The court held that the prosecution was required to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt but had failed to establish an unbroken chain of evidence meeting the required legal standard.

According to the prosecution, Asghar Ali and Sohail Asghar had allegedly shot dead Imran Jaffar on December 5, 2021. At the time, Jaffar was serving as Assistant Commissioner Jhang and was home on leave.

The deceased and accused were close relatives, while their families were also involved in a dispute over drainage and wastewater disposal. The Sessions Court, Chiniot, had sentenced Sohail Asghar to death and Asghar Ali to life imprisonment.