Actress Atiqa Odho acquitted in liquor case after 9 years

Published August 21, 2020
Rawalpindi trial court says there was no evidence against Atiqa Odho. — Quratulain Khalid/File
Rawalpindi trial court says there was no evidence against Atiqa Odho. — Quratulain Khalid/File

A Rawalpindi civil court on Friday acquitted actress Atiqa Odho in a nine-year-old case in which she was accused of carrying two liquor bottles in her luggage at an airport.

The court, in its verdict, said that there was no evidence against Odho. The verdict was announced by Rawalpindi's judicial magistrate Yasir Chaudhry.

The case was remanded to the trial court in 2018 by the Supreme Court. The actress in 2017 had appealed the top court to intervene, saying that all trial courts had rejected her application for acquittal on the grounds that the trial was not over and the matter would be decided after closing of the evidence of the accused in the defence.

In 2011, Odho was detained by the Airport Security Force at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport for allegedly carrying two liquor bottles in her luggage. She was released shortly after the intervention of some ‘influential figures’ in the matter.

Then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had taken suo motu notice of her release and ordered authorities to lodge a first information report of the incident.

Odho's lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar had argued that she had been implicated in a false case as a result of the suo motu action, that too was based on news reports.

He further said that the case against his client was false and frivolous and after the prosecution's conclusion of its evidence, it was obvious that no case had been made against her.

Opinion

Editorial

Iran’s new leader
Updated 10 Mar, 2026

Iran’s new leader

The position is the most powerful in Iran, bringing together clerical authority and political and ideological leadership.
National priorities
10 Mar, 2026

National priorities

EVEN as the country faces heightened risks of attacks from actual terrorists, an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi...
Silenced march
10 Mar, 2026

Silenced march

ON the eve of International Women’s Day, Islamabad Police detained dozens of Aurat March activists who had ...
War & deception
Updated 09 Mar, 2026

War & deception

While there is little doubt that Iran is involved in many of the retaliatory attacks, the facts raise suspicions that another player may be at work.
The witness box
09 Mar, 2026

The witness box

IT is often the fear of the courtroom and what may transpire therein that drives many victims of crime, especially...
Asylum applications
09 Mar, 2026

Asylum applications

BRITAIN’S tough immigration posture has again drawn attention to the sharp rise in asylum claims by Pakistani...