KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday acquitted Mohajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-Haqiqi) Chairman Afaq Ahmed and 11 others in a case pertaining to instigating people to torch a heavy vehicle within the jurisdiction of the Landhi police station.

After hearing arguments from defence counsel Javed Ahmed Chhatari and prosecutor Nasrullah Majeed, the ATC-XV judge, who conducted the trial at the Judicial Complex inside the Central Prison Karachi, acquitted Mr Ahmed, who appeared on bail, and 11 others in a rioting case.

Defence counsel Chhatari told Dawn that despite the acquittal in the case registered at the Landhi police station, two other cases against Mr Ahmed are still pending a final verdict.

“The prosecution has miserably failed to prove the charge against all the accused persons, beyond shadow of reasonable doubt. Hence, all the accused persons are given benefit of doubt and stand acquitted of the charge in the instant cases under Section 265-H (1) CrPC,” the court ruled.

Reasoning for acquitting them, the court noted that the private or independent witnesses — the complainant, truck driver and conductor — in the case became hostile and failed to corroborate the FIR and other relevant documents.

It added that the witnesses also failed to identify the accused persons before the court, while the other witnesses, who were police officials, failed to corroborate the version of the prosecution.

“It is well settled principle of law that single doubt is sufficient to acquit accused but in this case multiple circumstances are available to create doubt about prosecution case. All the witnesses in the case are giving contradictory evidence,” the judge wrote in the verdict.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2025