PESHAWAR: A local anti-terrorism court on Tuesday acquitted four people suspected of involvement in the 2013 Qissa Khwani Bazaar bombing, which left 47 people dead.

After completion of arguments by both the prosecution and defence, judge Ayub Khan pronounced the order and observed that the prosecution didn’t prove the charge against Niazbeen, Sheraz, Asif and Haji Habib and therefore, they were acquitted.

All the four belong to Kurram Agency and currently live in Peshawar.

An explosive laden vehicle was used in the Sept 30, 2013 bombing, which killed 47 people and injured around 100 people, and damaged several shops and vehicles.

Among the dead were 17 members of a family, who were aboard a pick-up vehicle.

The prosecution alleged the mastermind of the terrorist activity was Mosam Khan, who parked the vehicle in the bazaar and left moments before the blast occurred.

It added that Mosam Khan, too, died in the bombing.

According to the prosecution, when the four suspects reportedly nephews of Mosam Khan visited the relevant government offices to receive compensation, police held them.

They were later booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act and several sections of Pakistan Penal Code.

The defence lawyer said the entire case of the police was based on hearsay and that there existed nothing to prove their clients’ involvement in the terrorist activity.

He said the police had held the suspects only because they were relatives of Mosam Khan and that being related to the alleged mastermind of bombing was no crime.

The lawyer said one suspect, Niazbeen, was forced to record a record a statement eight days after his arrest suggesting Mosam Khan was the mastermind of the terrorist activity.

He said the confessional statement was secured under duress and that the suspect was tortured by the police for it.

The lawyer said there were several loopholes in the prosecution’s case as it could not explain the role of the four suspects in the bombing.

He added that even if for sake of argument, it was accepted that Mosam Khan had carried out the bombing, it did not turn his clients liable to be held for the offence.

The government prosecutor said the police had proved the case without doubt.

He said Mosam Khan and the four suspects were also charged in several other cases of terrorism, so they did not deserve to be acquitted in the case.

Published in Dawn, October 22nd, 2014