2011 attack: ATC acquits two men in Pir Chumbal case

The men were accused of carrying explosives, suicide vests.

RAWALPINDI:

A court on Tuesday acquitted two men who were accused of carrying explosive material and suicide vests when they were arrested from Pir Chumbal, a hilly area in Chakwal, in November, 2011.

Special Judge Anti Terrorist Court-II Rana Masood Akhtar accepted the plea of Dilshad Khan and Waqas Ilyas, who had sought acquittal on the ground that they were falsely roped in the case by Choha Saiden Shah police.

The two men had already obtained post-arrest bail in the case after they were arrested in April last year.



In their acquittal plea under section 265-k of criminal procedure code, the two men had maintained that they were earlier cleared by the investigators from the charges of having links with a group of terrorists who killed five army personnel near Pir Chumbal.

The two men were accused by the police of having a huge quantity of explosives that was later recovered from their hideouts near the shrine of Pir Chumbal.

Meanwhile, two other men are facing the trial for killing four army personnel, Major Afaq, Lans Naik Waqas Ahmed, Hawaldar Mazhar Abbas, Naik Faiz Muhammad from an intelligence agency and a civilian aide on November 12, 2011.

Muhammad Ijaz alias Daud and Waheed Ahmed were accused of being members of a TTP group led by Dr Arshad who killed the army men in 2011 when the security men were on intelligence duty in the area.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2013.