RAWALPINDI, March 1: An anti-terrorism court acquitted on Tuesday a man of his involvement in the killing of outlawed Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan leader Maulana Azam Tariq in October 2003.

ATC-II Special Judge Raja Ikhlaq Hussain gave Hammad Raza Naqvi the benefit of doubt saying the prosecution has failed to prove the case. Naqvi was accused of firing on the Maulana at a toll plaza in the Golra area.

He was arrested in Karachi and was brought to Islamabad in February last year.

The court had on March 20 last year acquitted two other men, Muhammad Ali and Mudassir Ali, and in 2006 Shia leader Sajid Naqvi and another man in the case.

Advocate Ilyas Siddiqui who represented Hammad Naqvi said that during an identification parade witnesses had identified his client as one of the assailants, but actually there were no witnesses to the incident.

The defence lawyer further said that the witnesses, who happened to be close relatives of the deceased, were there why they had failed to identify the body of Azam Tariq in the hospital.

Opinion

Editorial

Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
Updated 19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

The govt ought to take a direct approach comprising convincing communication with the students and Kyrgyz authorities.
Ominous demands
Updated 18 May, 2024

Ominous demands

The federal government needs to boost its revenues to reduce future borrowing and pay back its existing debt.
Property leaks
18 May, 2024

Property leaks

THE leaked Dubai property data reported on by media organisations around the world earlier this week seems to have...
Heat warnings
18 May, 2024

Heat warnings

STARTING next week, the country must brace for brutal heatwaves. The NDMA warns of severe conditions with...