KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) has acquitted three suspected Lyari gangsters for lack of evidence in a case pertaining to the possession of explosive substances.

The accused, Zakir alias Dada, Suraj alias Bhikari, and Fida were said to be associated with the “Lyari gang war” and were charged with several cases including the possession of explosive substances, encounters with police and murder of gangster Arshad Pappu and three others.

After hearing the prosecution and defence counsel Osama Ali, the ATC-VII judge, who conducted the trial at the judicial complex within the premises of Central Prison, acquitted the three accused, who were on bail, for lack of evidence.

According to the prosecution, during snap checking in November 2023, the police had signaled to stop a motorbike carrying the three accused. The accused did not stop; however, the police managed to apprehend them.

During a search, the police claimed to have recovered hand grenades from their possession.

The police had registered a case against them at the Chakiwara police station under Sections 4/5 of the Explosive Substances Act, read with Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

During the trial, defence counsel Osama Ali argued that the accused had been falsely implicated in the case with mala fide intent.

He contended that Zakir was not arrested during snap checking; rather, he was unlawfully picked up by police outside a court when he had gone there to seek bail in another case.

He further stated that a petition had also been filed before the high court for the recovery of the accused persons.

The counsel told Dawn that Zakir had been implicated in multiple cases which still pending before the concerned courts, including the Arshad Pappu case and a police encounter case, in which he had already secured bail.

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2026