QUETTA: The Balochis­tan High Court on Friday accepted for hearing an app­eal filed against the acquittal by a model court of former legislator Abdul Majeed Khan Achakzai in a traffic policeman killing case.

The BHC will take up the appeal in the second week of October. Notices have been issued to the respondents.

The appeal filed by the Quetta police argued that the model court had not given due weightage to the testimonies of witnesses.

Judge Dost Muhammad Mandokhel of the Quetta model court had on Sept 4 acquitted Abdul Majeed Achakzai, a former MPA belonging to the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, in the absence of enough evidence against him in the murder case.

Mr Achakzai was present in the courtroom along with his lawyers Kamran Murtaza, Khalilur Rehman, Noor Jan Buledi and Jaffar Awan when the judgement was pronounced.

Traffic sergeant Ataullah was killed when a fast-moving vehicle hit him at GPO Chowk in Quetta in June 2017. The ex-lawmaker was returning from the Balo­chistan Assem­­bly after attending a session when the vehicle hit the traffic policeman, who was performing his duty at the place.

Later, police registered a case against Mr Achakzai when CCTV footage of the fatal incident went viral. He was arrested on June 25, 2017 from his residence on charges of murder, attem­pted murder and terrorism.

The Civil Lines police submitted a challan to an anti-terrorism court, but the case was later shifted to the model court when the terrorism charge was withdrawn for want of evidence. The case remained under trial before the model court for three years.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2020