The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General’s Office has rejected a prosecution appeal challenging the acquittal of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers in the Peshawar Central Jail attack case, declaring it ‘unfit for submission’.
The provincial prosecution had prepared the appeal against September 9 verdict by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) that cleared six PTI members of charges related to an alleged assault on the prison.
Those acquitted persons included Irfan Saleem, Ismatullah, Muhammad Jalal, Sajjad Bangash, Sadiq Khan and Allama Iqbal. These men were accused of being involved in February 24 attack in the jurisdiction of Peshawar’s Eastern Police Station.
The trial court, however, acquitted them due to “lack of concrete evidence,” ruling that CCTV footage and other material did not substantiate the charges.
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The prosecution sought to challenge this ruling, arguing that the trial court had overlooked CCTV evidence and other proof. The matter was referred to the Advocate General’s Office for opinion.
Advocate General Shah Faisal Uthmankhel confirmed he examined the case after receiving it on September 27 from Additional Advocate General Ayub Zaman, who had already termed the appeal unfit.
“After reviewing all aspects, I also found the appeal unfit and rejected it. Therefore, no such appeal is being filed in the Peshawar High Court against the acquittal in the jail attack case,” Uthmankhel said.
He added that his office had previously dismissed appeals in other cases related to May 9 on similar grounds.
