LHC acquits seven Shaukat Aziz attack case convicts

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on Wednesday acquitted seven persons convicted in a case relating to attack on former prime minister Shaukat Aziz.

The bench comprising Justice Shahid Mehmood Abassi and Justice Sadiq Mehmood Khurram announced the verdict after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence counsel.

In 2006, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) had awarded death sentence to four accused—Qari Ahmed Khan, Maulvi Sadeeq, Noor Badshah and Muhammad Salman—besides sentencing rigorous imprisonment to three accused—Nisar Ahmed, Abdul Basit and Abdul Manam – for their alleged involvement in carrying out attack on former premier Aziz in Fateh Jang area.

The convicts had filed an appeal in the LHC against the ATC verdict. The LHC’s Rawalpindi Bench overturned the ATC verdict, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the case.