ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench on Wednesday acquitted an alleged member of banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) of terror charges.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested Alam Zeb from Gujar Khan in 2015 for allegedly planning to attack a ceremony held to celebrate the birth anniversary of Hazrat Ali (Jashan-e-Molod-e-Kaba) which falls on Rajab 13 of the Hijri calendar.

According to the challan submitted by the CTD before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Rawalpindi, Zeb had acquired 9-kg explosive material and stored it near Gujar Khan.

ATC Judge Rai Mohammad Ayub Khan Marth on February 16, 2016 convicted Zeb in the said case and awarded him 14 years imprisonment.

The convict on the other hand challenged the sentence next month before the LHC through his counsel Maulana Mohammad Wajeehullah.

Two-member LHC division bench, comprising Justice Tariq Abbasi and Justice Habibullah Amir heard the case.

The defence counsel adopted before the court that the complainant in this case Constable Kamran Akbar had not recognised Zeb during the identification parade.

He also raised objection to sending blood sample of the accused for the DNA test to the laboratory after one and a half month of his arrest. The bench after hearing the defence counsel and the prosecution set aside the ATC’s verdict and acquitted Zeb of the charges.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2017