KARACHI, Oct 21: An anti-terrorism court acquitted Atif alias Kamran, the local chief of the Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi, in a petrol station blast case.

Judge Aley Maqbool Rizvi of the ATC-1, who conducted the trial inside the Central Prison, exonerated Atif from charges due to contradictory evidence of the complainant and the prosecution witness who identified the accused during an identification parade.

The case pertained to a bomb blast at the Al-Madina Petrol Pump on May 15 last year in Jauharabad. An employee of the pump, Abdul Khaliq, was also injured in the blast.

Meanwhile, Judge Feroze Mehmood Bhatti of the ATC-2 adjourned the hearing of two cases of petrol pump blast.

One case pertained to the blast at a Shell petrol pump at 8:40pm within the limits of the PIB Colony. Two activists of the banned Harkatul Mujahideen Al-Aalmi, Mehmood Ullah and Sameer Ullah, are being prosecuted in the case.

The prosecution examined Inspector Mohammed Mushtaq as its first witness, who was also cross-examined by defence counsel M. R. Syed. The judge fixed Oct 29 for the next hearing.

The second case pertained to the blast at another Shell petrol pump the same day in New Town. Accused Sameer Ullah is being tried in this case.

HAIDERI MOSQUE BLAST: An anti-terrorism court put off on Thursday the hearing of the Haideri Mosque bomb blast case against a worker of the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi after recording the deposition of three more prosecution witnesses.

Judge Haq Nawaz Baloch of the ATC-5 fixed Friday for the next hearing after the deposition by SI Shah Mohammad Ranjha, ASI Raja Masood and constable Musa, who were also cross-examined by defence counsel Mushtaq Tanoli.

SI Ranjha submitted that he along with SHO Inspector Shaukat Awan visited the bomb site. He said he had shifted several injured at the Civil Hospital. He said later he, along with the SHO, went to the Liaquat National Hospital where Inspector Awan recorded the statement of the injured peshimam of the Haideri mosque.