Witnesses retract statements: Four acquitted of killing SSP Marth, his driver By Our Correspondent May 21st, 2010 GUJRANWALA, May 20 An Anti-Terrorism Court acquitted four activists of a banned religious outfit of murder of former Gujranwala SSP Muhammad Ashraf Marth and his driver after prosecution witnesses retracted their statements. Judge Rana Nasir Ahmad announced the verdict here on Thursday. The SSP along with his driver, constable Shamim Ahmad, was gunned down near his residence when he was on the way to his office on May 6, 1997, in Civil Lines police station limits. Police had booked former head of the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) Azam Tariq, Riaz Basra, Sanaullah, Ghulam Rasool Shah, Abdul Haq, Abu Bakar and Uzair alias Usman alias Chouta for the killings. The police told the court accused Azam Tariq, Sanaullah and Riaz Basra had been killed in various acts of terrorism or in police encounters. Prosecution presented Uzair, Abu Bakar, Abdul Haq and Ghulam Rasool Shah before the court after their arrest. On May 21, 2000, the Anti Terrorism Court awarded death sentence to Abu Bakar and Ghulam Rasool Shah. The convicts filed appeals against the verdict in the Supreme Court which rem- anded the case to the ATC for review of the verdict. During the trial, prosecution witnes ASI Muhammad Akram, Muhammad Hameed and Hanif retracted their statements while the court acquitted all the four accused, giving them the benefit of the doubt.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 08:13:33 +0000
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