LAHORE, Nov 22: Additional sessions judge Ameer Muhammad Khan on Monday acquitted former Lahore Bar Association president Chaudhry Muhammad Naeem and his four family members of murder of their 12-year-old maid, Shazia Masih.

The Defense-A police had registered a case against Advocate Naeem, his wife, son, daughter in-law and sister-in-law on charges of torturing Shazia to death in January this year. During the trial, witnesses, however, gave testimony in favour of the accused.

The court after recording the testimony of witnesses and in the light of medical report declared that Shazia was not murdered but she suffered a natural death.

The death of the maid had resulted into massive protests by members of the Christian community.

Bashir Masih, father of the victim, had alleged that family of the lawyer had not informed him about the bad health of his daughter. Even, he had no information about admission of her daughter to a hospital. He alleged that the accused persons concealed facts about the death of his daughter as they had tortured her daughter to death.

Initial medical report had also confirmed that the girl’s body had marks of wounds caused by a sharp-edged weapon, her right arm and ribs were fractured, her skull was damaged and her nails had been plucked out.

However, subsequent medical reports declared that some fatal infection in girl’s body had resulted into her death.

directive: Lahore High Court on Monday hearing an election petition against a PML-N MNA directed both the MNA and the petitioner to record their evidences before a local commission on Tuesday (today), otherwise the court will take up the matter itself.

Earlier, the local commission informed the Judge, Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, that both the petitioner, Asif Hashmi and the respondent MNA, Malik Riaz, appeared before him along with armed men and did not corporate in recording of evidences.

Justice Saeed took strong note of the matter and directed both parties to mend their ways otherwise the court would take up the matter itself and would see how they appear in the court along with armed men.

However, both parties denied having done anything wrong and undertook to extend full cooperation to the local commission.

Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) chairman Asif Hashmi, a defeated candidate from NA-118 (Lahore), in his petition alleged Malik Riaz got a fake BA degree and as such liable to be declared disqualified under articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.