HYDERABAD, Jan 10: The District and Sessions Judge Hyderabad, Mr.Zafar Ahmed Sherwani, acquitted the Chairman of the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) Basheer Khan Qureshi and seven others including his former party colleague Shafi Burfat (who now heads his own faction of JSMM) for lack of evidence in a bomb blast case.

Allah Bachayo Soomro and Bashir Samoon, advocates represented the accused for whom an application under section 249-A was filed, seeking quashment of the case which was lodged against them at Market police station following a bomb blast at Market tower on November 25, 1998.

The JSQM had given a strike call on that day to protest arrests of nationalist party activities and anti-Sindh policies. In a bomb blast near a pushcart of used clothes, an unidentified person was killed while five others were injured. Of present eight accused one Shahzad Qureshi, who was injured in the same blast, was arrested by Market police. He was an employee of education department and serving in nearby government school.

Two prosecution witnesses deposed against them saying that Shahzad was caught red-handed after the blast as he was fleeing from the area. Other private witnesses also recorded their statements under section 164 CrPC but they didn't name any accused of the case. Charges were framed against applicants.

Those acquitted included, Dr Niaz Kalani, Zafar Korejo, Kehar Ansari, Shahzad Qureshi, Akash Mallah, Mansoor Mari, Shafi Burfat and Ayaz Jamali.

The defence counsel argued that there was no eye witnesses in the case and Shahzad Qureshi himself received injuries in the incident.

He said that had he planted bomb, he would have suffered injuries on other parts of the body including his face.