Murder convict acquitted after 3 years

LAHORE:

The Lahore High Court has acquitted a man serving a life sentence in a murder case, granting him the benefit of doubt over serious flaws in the police investigation and contradictions in the prosecution evidence.

Justice Muhammad Amjad Rafiq allowed the appeal filed by Salman Ahmad and set aside his life imprisonment and other sentences, declaring that the prosecution had failed to establish his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

In its written judgment, the court observed that the complainant's testimony had lost credibility as he had failed to establish his presence at the crime scene.

It also noted that the police had failed to record statements of key witnesses and obtain CCTV footage, despite their importance to the investigation.

According to the case record, Salman was accused of stabbing Nabeel Ahmad, causing injuries to which he succumbed while being taken to a hospital.

The court also directed the Punjab prosecutor general to take action over the poor prosecution of the case and issue guidelines across the province to prevent similar lapses in criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Misri Shah police had registered the murder case in 2023.