KARACHI, Sept 24: The special court for control of narcotic substances on Wednesday acquitted two alleged drug-peddlers due to a lack of incriminating evidence in a case registered against them in August 2004.

Mohammad Farooq and Mohammad Islam were charged with possessing 40 kilos of charas (hashish) each.

Judge Rubina Khan of the CNS-II pronounced the judgment after recording final arguments from both sides.

The prosecution said that a team of the Anti-Narcotic Force, acting on a tip-off, had intercepted a motorcycle near Karachi University on Aug 27, 2004. The team recovered 40 kilos of charas from each accused and arrested them. A case (FIR No 15/2004) was registered against them under Section 6/9-C of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act, 1997. Both the accused were later remanded in judicial custody.

Earlier, in his final arguments, the special public prosecutor submitted that the prosecution had successfully proved the involvement of the accused in the case by providing sufficient evidence.

The defence counsel, Shaukat Hayat, said that four defence witnesses were produced in court to prove that his clients were innocent and implicated in the case. However, only three prosecution witnesses, who were the personnel of Anti-Narcotics Force, were produced in court during the last four years, he said, adding that their statements had obvious contradictions. Besides, he said the prosecution did not produce any solid evidence against the accused in court. He pleaded for the acquittal of his clients.

The judge observed that the prosecution had failed to produce ample evidence in court to prove the suspects’ involvement in the case. Besides, there were glaring contradictions in the statements of the prosecution witnesses.

The judge directed the jail authorities to release the accused if they were not wanted in any other case.