An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Wednesday acquitted two accused in the Sri Lanka cricket team attack case.

Obaidullah and Ibrahim Khalil had been accused of providing arms and training to the terrorists involved in the attack on a visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore on March 3, 2009.

Seven people had been killed and 20, including seven Sri Lankan players, injured in the attacks. The Lankan team had escaped owing to the heroics of the team's bus driver.

The doors of international cricket in Pakistan had, till recently, closed as a result of the incident.

Representing the accused, Advocate Rana Baleegh had argued that the allegations against his clients were false and baseless. His clients should, therefore, be acquitted, he said.

The court had therefore ordered acquittal of the two accused in the case.

Six individuals — Qari Zubair alias Naik Mohammad, Adnan Arshad, Abdul Wahab, Javed Anwar, Ibrahim Khalil and Obaidullah — had been indicted in 2016 for the attacks.

Qari Zubair, Adnan Arshad and Abdul Wahab were later killed in an alleged encounter with security officials. The alleged mastermind of the attack, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi chief Malik Ishaq, was also killed in a police encounter.

Earlier, the case had been transferred from the ATC to military courts, from where it was transferred back to the ATC.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.