Off the hook: ATC acquits 17 suspects in prison clashes

On January 5, 2014, four prisoners were injured in a clash between TTP and Lashkar-e-Islam at Central Prison Peshawar.

PESHAWAR:

PESHAWAR. An anti-terrorism court acquitted 17 suspects from militant groups who were booked for clashes in Central Prison Peshawar in 2014 after sufficient evidence could not be produced against them.

During Thursday’s hearing, the court of judge Muhammad Zafar Khan pronounced a short order of the acquittal of 17 suspects who were booked in the clashes. Earlier, Arshad Hussain Yousafzai, counsel for the suspects, had filed an application under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code which empowers a trial court to acquit suspects if there is no solid evidence against them.

The suspects who were acquitted in the case are Saeed Muhammad, Attique, Riaz, Abdur Rashid, Ihsanullah, Muhammad Ayaz alias Abduzar, Muhammad Rehman, Allah Baig, Hazrat Bilal, Hayat Khan, Hasan Din, Qimat Gul, Rashid, Saddam, Noor Rehman, Hazrat Umer and Jalil.

On January 5, 2014, four prisoners were injured in a clash between TTP and Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) at Central Prison Peshawar. TTP militants reportedly argued with LI men, blaming a recent search operation conducted by security forces, which lasted for two days and one night, on phone calls made by LI. The verbal dispute turned into a fight between the two groups, forcing the jail police to baton charge the two groups to separate them.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2015.