Cleared In Five Cases: Alleged sectarian killer acquitted

Muntazir, an alleged terrorist accused of killing dozens of people in sectarian violence, was acquitted in 5 out of 7.

KARACHI: Muntazir Imam, an alleged terrorist accused of killing dozens of people in sectarian violence, was acquitted in five out of the seven cases against him on Friday. Anti-Terrorism Court Administrative Judge Justice Maqbool Baqar dropped the charges against him in FIRs registered at the North Nazimabad, Shahrea Faisal, Airport, Shah Faisal Colony and CID police stations. He still faces charges in two cases, one of which will be heard today while the other one is still under scrutiny. Imam was arrested outside an imambargah on May 17 and was dubbed to be a sectarian serial killer. He has a damaged wrist and disjointed fingers - which create doubts about his ability to carry out the killings. When he was presented in court after his arrest, he looked as if he had been tortured and the police wanted physical custody but the judge sent him to jail. The medical reports confirmed that he had been tortured while in police custody.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2011.