PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General’s Office has turned down a prosecution request to file an appeal against the acquittal of six Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in the Peshawar Central Jail attack case, declaring the move “unfit for submission.”
The provincial prosecution had prepared an appeal against a September 9 verdict of the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), which cleared the six men of charges stemming from an alleged assault on the prison earlier this year. Those acquitted were Irfan Saleem, Ismatullah, Muhammad Jalal, Sajjad Bangash, Sadiq Khan, and Allama Iqbal, accused of taking part in a February 24 incident in the jurisdiction of Peshawar’s Eastern Police Station.
The ATC acquitted the accused, citing a “lack of concrete evidence,” and ruled that CCTV footage and other material presented by investigators did not support the prosecution’s claims. Prosecutors, however, argued that the trial court had overlooked vital footage and testimony, and sought to challenge the ruling in the Peshawar High Court.
The matter was referred to Advocate General Shah Faisal Uthmankhel, who said he reviewed the case after it was initially examined by Additional Advocate General Ayub Zaman. Both law officers concluded the appeal lacked merit.
“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 told reporters.
He added that his office had previously dismissed prosecution appeals in other May 9–related cases on similar grounds, underscoring a pattern of weak evidence and poor case preparation.
The decision effectively closes the chapter on this particular case, with the acquittals now standing unless fresh evidence emerges.
