The ATC acquitted Sufi Muhammad in a case in which he had been charged with conspiracy against the state and attacking government installations. PHOTO: FILE
Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Maulana Sufi Muhammad has so far been acquitted in five cases after the prosecution failed to furnish credible evidence against him. Seven cases, including Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Badiuzzaman’s murder dating back to the 1990s, are pending against Muhammad.
Sufi Muhammad is also the father-in-law of the newly-elected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Fazlullah. He is currently incarcerated in Central Prison Peshawar
On October 8, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) acquitted Sufi Muhammad and his associates in a sedition case dating back to 2001. The men were accused of organising a rally against former president General (retd) Pervaiz Musharraf, alleging he was a ‘US agent’.
Others intimated in the case were Maulana Hamdullah and Maulana Khalid. The case had been registered against them by Timergara police under Pakistan Penal Code Section 124A (sedition) and Section 505 (inciting public mischief).
On May 4, the ATC acquitted Sufi Muhammad in a case in which he had been charged with conspiracy against the state and attacking government installations in Matta in Swat around 17 years ago.
The judge had accepted an application for acquittal in line with Code of Criminal Procedure Section 265-K. This empowers the court to acquit an accused before the conclusion of the trail if there is a lack of credible proof.
The other three cases in which Muhammad was acquitted pertained to conspiracy against the state and attacking government installations in Swat some 18 years ago.
After Muhammad was released from a prison in DI Khan on April 21, 2008, he was arrested from Sethi Town, Peshawar along with his three sons on July 6, 2009.
Later, the ATC in Swat acquitted Abdullah, Abdur Rehman and Fazlullah who had been charged for terrorism by Saidu Sharif Police Station on February 16, 2008.
Muhammad was also tried in a terrorism court in Swat but on July 5, 2012 a single-member bench of the Peshawar High Court ordered the transfer of the case from Swat to Central Prison Peshawar.
“Most of the cases registered against Sufi Muhammad are related to conspiracy and attacks against government installations, but he is acquitted due to weak prosecution,” shared a source familiar with the cases.
Out of 10 hearings of the case, Muhammad hardly appears before the court in one or two, he added.
Sufi Muhammad entered peace negotiations with the Awami National Party (ANP)-led government to end violence in Malakand division on February 21, 2008 after the ANP agreed to allow the implementation of Sharia in the area.
Another agreement between the provincial government and TNSM in February 2009 led to the withdrawal of all cases against Sufi Muhammad and his associates. However, peace was not restored in Malakand division and the cases against Muhammad and accomplices were restored.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2013.
COMMENTS (49)
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sufi hafeez saed all the same no evidence lol what a country shame
Bravo! Bravo! to our "respected" Judiciary. Lack of evidence OR is it that our brave Judiciary is not willing to listen to evidence? OR Was evidence required at all in this case? He was all over the media in 2009 with his Fatwas. What else does Judiciary requires????
Impotent government should release all terrorists like these and hand over to Taliban and leave people their mercy, I think they will put a better fight than these cowards!
true believer, protector of islam, jokers to world
Hey he is pa-in-law of Mullah Fazlullah, could be an ideal candidate for peace emissary for our Kaptaan! With people like this the Kaptaan sees nothing but magnificent chances for the peace (negotiations)!
In fact, there are no terrorists in Pakistan, all are innocents. If at all there are terrorist actions, they are by RAW, MOSSAD, CIA, KGB agents.
........and we never learn.
Why all this fuss. Are you not the same people that rejoiced when Hafiz Saeed was acquitted? You the people have laid a foundation for this audacity and are now crying. Keep it up.
....and hence the need of Guantanamo like holding facility everywhere.
It is time to pray to ALLAH for our sins.
Ofcourse the Courts dont punish the politicians or terrorists, they serve justice only to the common man, the citizen.
Lack of evidence or cowardliness by our courts to punish criminals who are known to all but not to the courts and prosecution. We feel proud to punish PM's, high government officials but afraid to touch those having religious terrorists backgrounds. These thugs are either Gazi or Shaheed.
Yes. Let him out or we could get the good old professor munawwar hassan and maulana fazl ur rehman as character witness and imran khan with chaudhry nisar as defence team.... How spineless and appeasing fo we have to be to get the ttp to say they will talk.
Disgraceful...........but when was the judicial process ever credible.
It is the judicary that will implement sharia in pakistan and not the taliban.
After declaring CJP as a "Best amongst the infidels", by the spokeperson of TTP, such injustice is no surprise. After all what is one case between friends.
Shame on the courts! He did whatever he did very openly. What other "evidence" do the courts need?
This case demonstrates how poor and weak our prosecution and judicial system are. seems to me like Pakistan is going back to babylonian era where society would be divided into aristocratic class and slaves.
TTP(being brothers and stake holders) must have been the Government Agency tasked to collect the evidence. Since Shakil Afridi can find even a pin in a haystack, he should be freed and asked to do the job, he can be sentenced for some other offense later which does not need evidence, only will.
No surprise- sonsidering Raymond Davis case, the way Punjab Government and the judges released him midnight. These politicians only think how to safegurad their families.
ETBLOGS1987 Musharraf is not acquitted and his trial drags on. Gilani is convicted but Sufi Mohammed and Malik Ishaaq are acquitted as well mullah who ran in a burqa. With such laws, prosecution and judiciary is it any surprise that Hafiz Saeed too is acquitted?
If he was acquitted it is the failure of the investigative agencies who were not able to provide adequate evidences and not the failure of the judiciary.
These are just excuses to release him. Poor investigation and prosecution. Salams
What kind of judicial system is this?I am sure even if Hakemullah would have been captured,he would also have been acquitted.Only the poor people committing pity crimes get punished by this judiciary.The state prosecutors should immediately be fired and some competent people should be assigned this job
Compromises, compromises! Haven't we learnt anything?
Wow.... No wonder why Taliban like cheap justice. They only have evidences against Musharraf or Pakistanis. Shameful!
Something cooking up here....
Sufi Muhammad is also the father-in-law of the newly-elected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Fazlullah.
And that is the proof of his 'Innocence'.
Pakistan should introduce Shariah rule since this is what 80% of the respondents in a not-too-recent poll wanted. This will get rid of all the terrorists in one sweeping move.
Not surprised at all. All Pakistani institutions are bending over backward to please the Talibans. Pakistan is going back to the medieval times.
There is no justice in Pakistan! Maulana Sufi Muhammad is personally responsible for the deaths of thousands of people and he is going to be freed because nothing could be proven against him.
Seriously. I mean seriously. Weak evidence. And i suppose the act that an SSG battalion was required just to open the way for an arm division to retake Swat wasn't evidence enough of a conspiracy enough. All hail the Pakistani judiciary and the government of its pathetic attempt at prosecuting this war criminal.
How can he be acquitted in a case against Pakistan on the basis of lack of witnesses is just amazing! Well done judiciary ...
His photo goes like someone saying "Nah man, I'm cool. Don't disturb me."
I don't understand who is running the country ? Recently Pervez Musharraf was acquitted in all cases, and now Sufi Muhammad (Most likely, he will be acquitted in remaining cases too) !! Now I don't believe the country is run by democratic system, or courts are working freely.
Now he can be the next president when Fazallulah becomes the prime minister
does not mean he did not do it.
Lal Masjid 'Shuhuda' Foundation Part 2!
The irony is that under Sharia (the system they are striving for), these people would be given the death penalty- for promoting fitna/fasad-'corruption on land'.
Under this 'Azad Adliya" i have yet to see a single poliltician or terrorist sent to jail...5 years and counting!
This was the guy who like the Pied Piper led thousands of common men on a 'jihad' to Afghanistan in 2001, and when the going got tough-left them there, and sneaked back into Pakistan.
Everybody is innocent except we "awaam", supporter of such elements.
Another Deal in making...