RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench acquitted two people allegedly affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and set aside their convictions by a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC).

Abdul Rauf and Sajid Mehmood was convicted on Oct 10, 2017, under the Explosive Substance Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act and sentenced to 14 years in prison each.

The ATC had acquitted another suspect, Asad Mehmood.

An LHC division bench overturned the convictions while hearing their appeals, pointing on various discrepancies in the prosecution’s case.

According to Inspector Ejaz Hussain Shah, an investigation officer with the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), he arrested the aforementioned three men on Dec 12, 2016, from Pirwadhai Mor in Rawalpindi.

He testified before the court that the CTD team recovered explosives, detonators and ball bearings from their possession, and told the court that he made the arrest based on an informant’s tip.

The counsel for the appellants, Maulana Wajihullah, had argued that the CTD’s case was fabricated.

He claimed that the men were picked up from Karachi and brought to Rawalpindi, where they were implicated in a false case.

He had said that another suspect had already been acquitted by the ATC in the same case.

The bench acquitted Mr Rauf and Mr Mehmood after hearing the arguments.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2019