QUETTA: The court of the Judicial Mag­is­trate-II, Quetta, Muhammad Iqbal Khilji, acquitted on Saturday MPA Majeed Khan Achakzai in the vehicle tampering case.

Mr Achakzai was produced in the court of the judicial magistrate who, after hearing the case, issued the acquittal orders.

“Police could not produce enough evidence in support of the case,” the verdict said.

However, the case concerning the killing of a traffic police officer is ongoing against Mr Achakzai in an anti-terrorism court as it was registered under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Witnesses in traffic police officer’s killing case retract statements

“We have also challenged the terrorism charge in a higher court because how can a traffic accident be considered a terrorist act,” Mr Achakzai’s counsel said on Saturday.

On Saturday, the lawmaker was also produced before ATC judge Dawood Khan Nasar in connection with the case relating to the killing of traffic policeman Haji Attaullah in a road accident.

The accident took place in June at General Post Office Chowk when, according to CCTV footage which went viral on media, Mr Achakzai ran over his vehicle on the traffic police officer, killing him on the spot.

Mr Achakzai later confessed that he was driving the vehicle when the incident took place.

The CCTV footage sparked a campaign demanding the arrest of the lawmaker. Later, the police arrested Mr Achakzai from his residence in Satellite Town area of the provincial capital.

Two witnesses of the case, police constable Hayatullah and Levies constable Muhammad Noor produced by the prosecution in the case on Saturday, retracted their statements they had earlier recorded about the accident.

The court asked the prosecution to produce other witnesses at the next hearing on Dec 28.

Published in Dawn, December 24th, 2017