ATC frees Zulfiqar Mirza in Badin police station attack case

KARACHI: An anti terrorism court (ATC) on Monday aquitted former Sindh home minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and his 51 aides in a case pertaining to attacking a police station in Badin in 2015.

On Saturday the ATC after hearing arguments from both sides had reserved its judgment in the case.

Zulfiqar Mirza, along with his 51 associates, was charged with storming a police station, abusing police officers, rioting, blocking a road and damaging property during a sit-in on May 3, 2015.

The ATC judge while announcing the reserved judgement, acquitted Mirza and his aides in the case.

According to the prosecution, complainant Sub-Inspector Wali Mohammad Chang lodged an FIR, alleging that Dr Zulfiqar Ali Mirza along with his supporters armed with deadly weapons forcibly entered the police station and wanted to lodge a complaint against the then president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur, the then IG police Sindh Ghulam Hyder Jamali, and the then SSP Badin.

It further mentioned that the then SHO Badin Abdul Qadir Samoon told him to seek permission of high-ups on which Dr Mirza got infuriated and hurled threats at him and also damaged the mobile phone of the SHO.

The case was lodged under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 at the Badin police station.