SC acquits two life imprisonment accused

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday acquitted two death sentence accused giving them benefit of doubt.

The trial court had given capital punishment to Qaisar Butt and Abdul Ghaffar over murder of taxi driver Manzoor Ahmed in 2008. The Lahore High Court converted the death penalty into life imprisonment in 2013. The accused challenged the LHC order in the apex court.

A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa heard the case.

During the course of proceedings, the state prosecutor said both the accused had booked Manzoor Ahmed's taxi cab and two pistols were also recovered from their possession.

The chief justice observed that the accused could not be convicted on the basis that they were were seen accompanying the victim. The suspects were found accompanying the deceased Mamzoor Ahmed 24 hours before the incident, he added.