ATC acquits Shershah scrap market carnage accused over lack of evidence

KARACHI: An anti terrorism court (ATC) on Monday acquitted key accused of Shershah scrap market carnage, in which 12 people were killed, ARY News reported.

The court acquitted key accused of the incident, Aslam Pervaiz Magsi, over lack of evidence against him.

Twenty-six witnesses of the carnage recorded their statements but none of them named involvement of the accused in the incident, defence counsel said. Prosecution failed to produce any evidence against the accused, the lawyer said.

Nine suspects, who had allegedly confessed to being involved in the Shershah market carnage, were acquitted in year 2011 because of a lack of evidence and witness testimony.

Complainant of the case was failed to identify the accused in the courtroom.

Twelve workers and owners of shops in the Shershah scrap market were killed on October 19, 2010, when around 30 unidentified men on motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire in the market. Seven shopkeepers, Kashif, Arsalaan, Rashid, Zeeshan, Arif and Imran, were injured in the incident.

The terrorists of outlawed People’s Aman Committee had reached the scrap market on 16 motorbikes and opened indiscriminate fire, prosecution had said in its charge sheet.