ATTOCK, May 1: The court of the judicial magistrate Attock acquitted four police officials in a negligence case registered against them nine months ago after an explosive device was detected in front of the District Police Officer’s office.

Police sources informed that the judicial magistrate, Hamid Mehmood Khan, acquitted all four police officials Mohammad Qasim, Nasir Mahmood, Mohammad Zubair and Tariq Mahmood.

The court observed in its decision that the FIR had been registered under section 155-cD of the Police Order-2002 , and the entire proceeding was considered void since it was mandatory to obtain the permission of the area magistrate prior to the registration of the FIR.

It also observed that the accused were from the lowest cadre of the police, and had been made the scapegoat.

Earlier, the counsel of the accused police officials, Rana Afsar Ali Khan and Syed Najeeb Sadat Bukhari advocates, had filed an application before the court on behalf of the accused-cum-petitioners, arguing that police order 2002 was valid till 2008 and ceased to exist after the 18th amendment.

Furthermore, they maintained that the accused were low cadre and had been made the scapegoat just to save the high-ups in the incident.

These arguments were admitted by the court which acquitted all four accused.

Later on, in the presence of the court order, the acquitted police officials filed an application at the DPO office requesting reinstatement which, according to sources, is still under process.

The Attock Police had arrested the four constables after registration of a negligence case against them on Aug 26, 2012 at the DPO’s office.

A department inquiry found out that the explosive device had been present due to their alleged negligence.

However, the accused had later obtained a bail from the court.