Two more Taliban members acquitted by ATC due to failure of prosecution

A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) acquitted two members of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who were arrested for planning an attack on New Year’s Eve in Rawalpindi last year.

ATC Judge Sulaiman Baig acquitted Hassan Muaviya and Mohammad Imran after the prosecution failed to make its case against both men, and the defence pleaded that the men were “missing persons” prior to their arrest in the aforementioned case.
The Attock Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) arrested both of them near the Chach interchange, an area on the edge of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that was also the constituency of slain Punjab home minister retired Col Shuja Khanzada, on Dec 28, 2016. Khanzada was killed in a suicide attack on his office in Shadi Khan on Aug 16, 2015. In October that year, the Sheikhupura CTD killed four suspected terrorists who had allegedly planned the attack that killed Khanzada.
The trial of one of the suspects in the case, Qasim Muaviya, is ongoing before a Rawalpindi ATC.
Upon arresting Muaviya and Imran in 2016, the CTD had allegedly recovered two hand grenades, 1.1 kilograms of explosive material, 12 detonators and other illegal items from their possession.
According to the prosecution, the two men had planned an attack in different parts of Rawalpindi that New Year’s Eve. It produced seven witnesses, including CTD officials and a Bomb Disposal Squad commander, as well as materials allegedly recovered by the CTD from the two men.
Defence Counsel also a Cleric, Wajihullah, however, argued that Muaviya and Imran went missing on Dec 2 and Dec 3 that year from Multan. He told the court that Muaviya used to run a general store in Multan, while Mr Imran was a farmer.
He alleged that the Multan CTD apprehended both men at their homes and took them to an unknown location. The counsel said Muaviya’s brother Abdul Hanan had filed an application before the Supreme Court’s human rights cell on Dec 5, 2016, seeking the recovery of his brother.
The defence also produced two witnesses in this matter.