SHC rejects appeals against MQM workers' acquittal in 'Nine-Zero' raid case
Pakistan
SHC rejects appeals against MQM workers' acquittal in 'Nine-Zero' raid case
KARACHI - The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday turned down the appeals filed by the government against acquittal of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) workers in a 2015 case related to recovery of explosives and weapons in a raid at the party’s headquarters.
The state had moved the high court against an anti-terrorism court’s verdict that acquitted Faisal alias Mota, Ubaid alias K2, Farhan Mullah and others in the case last year. The high court also rejected petitions filed by the rangers seeking increase in jail terms of 13 other suspects in the case.
In 2021, the ATC acquitted 52 MQM workers. The court had, however, sentenced Faisal Mota to prison for 10 years, and Farhan Shabbir for eight years among 12 others for possessing illegal weapons.
A special bench announced the verdict in the 26 cases filed after the 2015 raid at MQM headquarters, which was dubbed as Nine-Zero.
Rangers had arrested many suspected target killers and criminals– including Ubaid K2, Faisal Mota, Nadir Shah, Nauman, Farhan Shabbir, Amir during the raid on March 11, 2015. A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered too.
