QUETTA: Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, grandson of the late Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, and his 15 security guards were acquitted of charges of smuggling weapons on Thursday by an additional district and sessions judge.

Nuroz Hoath, the judge, ordered release of the accused who had been arrested by Frontier Corps personnel at Belili checkpoint on Dec 22, 2010, on charges of smuggling illegal weapons from Afghanistan. The FC had also said that it had seized a large quantity of weapons.

The court said the prosecution had failed to present concrete evidence in support of the allegations and acquitted all the accused.

Talking to reporters after the decision, Shahzain Bugti said he would decide about taking part in the general election after consulting the elders of his tribe.

He said that FC had implicated him and his 15 guards in a fake case, but had failed to prove the allegations.