QUETTA, July 26: The Anti-Terrorist Court on Tuesday acquitted veteran Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, his three sons and six others in the case of murder of naib nazim of Kohlu. The special judge of the Anti-Terrorist Court, Mr Shaukat Rakhshani, said in his ruling that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against Nawab Marri and nine others nominated in the First Information Report (FIR).

The naib nazim of Kohlu district council, Mir Changez Marri, had been killed along with Abdul Qadir, an officer of the Agriculture Department, when a landmine planted along the road between Kohlu and Kahan exploded as he was travelling in his official vehicle on April 4, 2004.

The heirs of Mir Changez named Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri, his three sons, Nawabzada Changez Khan Marri, Nawabzada Hair Bair Marri, Nawabzada Balaach Khan Marri and six other people of the Marri tribe in the FIR.

Security personnel managed to arrest Baloch Khan Marri, Salman Khan Marri and Fateh Khan Mari but failed to pick up the remaining suspects. The court had declared all others as absconders.

The challan of the case was submitted before Anti-Terrorist Court special judge, Mr Rakhshani, who ordered acquittal of all the accused men nominated in the case after hearing arguments from both sides. The special judge said cited lack of evidence as the reason for acquittal. Sajid Tareen advocate, Abdul Wasay and Rana Aamir represented Nawab Marri and others in the case.