Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) on Monday dismissed the appeal preferred by the State against acquittal awarded by High Court of Sindh to the leaders of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and others in a kidnapping case.
According to details, Major Kaleemuddin along with his three staff members Moinuddin, Muhammad Yaseen and Nasir Ahmed was abducted during patrolling in Landhi here, in June 1991.
Accused Ashfaq Chief and others were convicted and awarded a total imprisonment for 27 years and other punishments by a Special Court for Suppression of Terrorist Activities (STA-III), on June 9, 1994, in the case.
Later, when the conviction by STA was challenged before the SHC, the conviction and sentence was set aside by the bench comprising Justice Nazim Hussain Siddiqui and Justice Abdul Hamid Dogar on February 6, 1998.
In his order, SHC allowing appeal, set aside the conviction and sentence and also ordered release of appellants. It was also ordered that all absconding appellants would not be arrested in Major Kaleem case.
When the appeal against the SHC acquittal came up for hearing, Additional Advocate General, Sindh Qazi Khalid Ali appeared for the government while Acting Advocate General Sindh Masood Noorani was also available before the bench.
The three-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Hamid Ali Mirza and Justice Ghulam Rabbani dismissed the State appeal against order or SHC, on request of the State counsel to withdraw the same.