LAHORE, March 11 A division bench of the Lahore High Court acquitted on Thursday two people of plotting an attack on then president Gen Musharraf in 2007 giving them the benefit of doubt.

Convicts Muhammad Asif Sohail, alias Musa, of Narang Mandi in Sheikhupura, and Abdul Rehman, alias Mani, of Awan Town in Lahore, filed an appeal against their 14 years sentence handed down by an anti-terrorism court on Nov 27, 2008.

Appellants through their counsel Naseer Bhutta submitted that there was inconsistency in the prosecution. The personnel of a sensitive agency had arrested them in their houses in January 2008 accusing them of having a role in a plot to attack Musharraf on July 6, 2007, in Islamabad.

Mr Bhutta said his clients were kept at some undisclosed location and their arrest was mentioned in record on Feb 26, 2008. They were charged with having a Kalashnikov, detonators and ball-bearings.

He said the FIR of the case did not mention his clients being involved in the attack on Musharraf. He said according to the record of the prosecution, his clients were arrested on Feb 26, 2008, while it was also mentioned in the record that their identification parade was held on Feb 24, which was impossible before their arrest.

The bench consisting of Chief Justice Khwaja Sharif and Justice Waqar Hasan Mir allowed the appeal and acquitted the appellants.

prosecutors A lawyer, Feroze Shah Gilani, has filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking directions for the federal government to appoint neutral and competent prosecutors in National Accountability Bureau.

The petitioner-lawyer submitted that the SC had directed the government to proceed against all the accused persons who benefited from the National Reconciliation Ordinance. He said the NAB did not comply with court's directions as all the prosecutors working in the bureau were appointed on political grounds and reluctant to proceed against politicians.

He pointed out that detail of some cases mishandled by NAB prosecutors appeared in national press showing that these prosecutors were not providing assistance to accountability courts.