GUJRANWALA, July 5: Mian Muhammad Shafi of the Anti-Terrorism Court No 1 on Saturday acquitted the main accused of the infamous Sialkot jail incident which claimed lives of four judges and five prisoners.

The prosecution failed to prove the charges levelled against Inspector Zulfiqar Virk who had initially escaped from the police custody, but later surrendered before court. He was being tried in the ATC for the last one year and the court acquitted him for a lack of evidence against him.

The court, however, issued warrants for the arrest of the Sialkot Jail deputy superintendent.

According to the prosecution, the Sialkot jail prisoners held up seven of the 13 judges who went there for a visit in July 2003 and demanded a ‘safe exit’. The police, having failed to negotiate with the captives, launched an assault which prompted an armed clash.

As a result, four civil judges -- Sheharyar Bukhari, Shah Nawaz Ranjha, Asif Mumtaz Cheema and Saghir Anwar – were killed and three others, Javaid Iqbal Warraich, Sibtain Ahmad Kazmi and Abid Kazmi, injured. Five prisoners Shahbaz, Munir, Ijaz, Ashfaq and Rafiq also lost lives in the clash.

The heirs of the judges got registered a case against some police and jail officials. The ATC has already acquitted a DIG, two DPOs, the jail superintendent and 18 other jail officials.

DEPORTEES: The Federal Investigation Agency on Saturday brought back to Gujranwala the 62 people who were deported by the Turkish government.