Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi has acquitted seven more suspects in the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, citing a lack of evidence.
Those acquitted by the ATC include former police officers Shoaib Shooter and Amanullah Marwat, along with Gada Hussain, Sadaqat Hussain, Riaz Ahmed, Raja Shamim and Mohsin Abbas.
The suspects had been declared absconders and later surrendered to the authorities following an earlier court ruling in the case.
During the hearing, the defence lawyer argued that none of the witnesses had testified that the police encounter in which Naqeebullah Mehsud was killed had been staged.
Prosecutors said that Naqeebullah Mehsud was killed in January 2018 during an alleged police encounter.
Former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir, Rao Anwar, and 17 other police officers and personnel involved in the case had already been acquitted by the ATC.
The court reached its decision after hearing arguments from both sides and concluding that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence against the seven accused.
It should be remembered that in January 2019, a police team led by then-Malir SSP Rao Anwar claimed to have carried out an encounter in Karachi’s Shah Latif Town.
The police said four suspected militants were killed in retaliatory fire during an operation to arrest dangerous terrorists. Naqeebullah Mehsud was among those killed.
The incident triggered widespread public protests and a social media campaign demanding an investigation.
A subsequent inquiry led to the suspension of then-Malir SSP Rao Anwar, who had led the police team.
A joint investigation team later held Anwar responsible for the alleged extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud.
With the acquittal of the seven remaining suspects, all 25 accused in the case have now been acquitted, according to the prosecution.
